Lake Superior State 73, Lake Erie 69
The Four Factors
Lake Erie had the better night shooting the basketball but Lake State's advantage on the offensive glass and in getting to the free throw line spurred the Lakers to a four point win on the road. LSSU led 40-27 at the half but let a lead slip away and wound up outscored by nine in the second half. Lakers guard Derek Billing poured in 19 points to go with four rebounds, five assists and a steal. Cameron Metz had 16 off the bench for Lake Superior as well. LEC was led by Nate Tait and Riley Thomas who each scored 17.
Wayne State 77, Tiffin
The Four Factors
Well, I said that Wayne State "shouldn't have a problem disposing of Tiffin." Yeah, about that. When the Dragons go 11-for-23 from deep, you don't have to be the better team to win. The Warriors still posted a 112.0 Offensive Efficiency for the night, but their defense was torched as Tiffin posted an Offensive Efficiency of 121.9. In a 68-possession game, the Warriors had five players in double digits, including four starters. Tiffin's Karl Finley poured in 32 points on 11-of-20 shooting (9-of-11 at the charity stripe). Joe Graessle hit seven shots on the night, six of them from downtown.
Hillsdale 73, Findlay 90
The Four Factors
Findlay scorched the nets in the first half and never looked back en route to their 17-point win over previously undefeated Hillsdale. The Oilers (effective) field goal percentage was off my chart at 71.3% for the night. As a team, they posted a 135.5 offensive efficiency and held Hillsdale to 109.9. Findlay hit 6-of-9 first half treys and rode the hot shooting to a 47-23 lead and never looked back. Kyle Caiola had 22 points to go with six assists, three steals and two rebounds. Hillsdale got a big performance from forward Brad Guinane who hit 5-of-9 three's en route to a 21 point game.
Saginaw Valley 52, Ashland 72
The Four Factors
Saginaw Valley State couldn't hit water if it fell out of a boat Thursday night on the road against Ashland. The Cardinals hit just 18 shots all night and were 7-of-35 from three. SVSU didn't turn the ball over but they also didn't get to the free throw line or rebound misses or do much of anything, ending the game with a 0.74 offensive efficiency. Ashland, on the other hand, posted a 1.04 OE on the back of a ton of trips to the free throw line and very efficient shooting. Eagles forward Evan Yates poured in 25 points on 10-of-15 shooting to go with his 17 rebounds (four offensive).
Northwood 70, Ohio Dominican 65
The Four Factors
Northwood jumped out to a 19-10 lead just 8:40 into the game and clung to that lead for the duration. Ohio Dominican actually outscored the Timberwolves 55-51 for the remaining 31:20 of the contest, but it wasn't enough. Northwood got to the free throw line with regularity and cleaned up their own misses more often to help secure a win on an otherwise even night in Ohio. Northwood had no answer for Morgan Jones who hit three trey's and 9 of his 14 shots from the field as he scored 22. The 'Wolves scored at 1.05 points per possession while holding Ohio Dominican to just 0.98.
Ferris State 54, Michigan Tech 67
The Four Factors
In a game just a bit slower than usual for both squads -- just 58 possessions -- the Huskies downed the Bulldogs in Houghton on the back of hot outside shooting. Michigan Tech hit 10-of-21 treys and were led by Ben Stelzer's 21 points (6-of-8 from three) and Ali Haidar's 19 and 10 rebounds. Tied at 27, the Huskies warmed up from three -- namely Stelzer -- and pulled away. The win gives them sole possession of the GLIAC North Division at 7-2 overall and they host Grand Valley on Saturday.
Grand Valley State 57, Northern Michigan 62
The Four Factors
Grand Valley did what it could to slow the game down, but this 63-possession game found it's way into Northern Michigan's win column despite neither team playing particularly well at the offensive end. Both team's offenses seemed to run through the free throw line combining for 51 attempts from the charity stripe. Both teams were pretty dismal from the three point line (and from the field in general), but both teams hounded the basketball forcing a combined 34 steals. GVSU somehow managed just three assists on the night -- three! -- and scored just 0.90 points per possession while allowing 0.98. That's below he Lakers seasonal average of 1.04. Credit to both defenses as the teams combined for 18 steals.
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