{"id":2349,"date":"2023-04-12T19:17:16","date_gmt":"2023-04-12T19:17:16","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring2024\/?p=2349"},"modified":"2025-05-09T18:00:28","modified_gmt":"2025-05-09T18:00:28","slug":"lssu-mens-basketball-competes-in-first-ever-elite-eight","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/lssu-mens-basketball-competes-in-first-ever-elite-eight\/","title":{"rendered":"LSSU Men’s Basketball Competes in First-Ever Elite Eight"},"content":{"rendered":"

The LSSU Lakers men\u2019s basketball team had an\u00a0incredible<\/em>\u00a0season, wrapping up with an impressive 30-7 record. They made an\u00a0historic<\/em>\u00a0run to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Division II tournament\u2014the first time ever in Laker history<\/em>\u2014this spring in Evansville, Indiana. Key players such as Devin Womack, who led the team with 20 points per game, and Tyson Edmondson were instrumental in their success. The team\u2019s strong defense, impressive shooting, and unselfish play helped propel them to one of the best seasons in program history. This unforgettable campaign not only showcased the Lakers\u2019 talent and determination but also left a lasting impact on the legacy of Laker basketball.<\/p>\n

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Coach Hettinga pictured with this year’s senior class<\/p><\/div>\n

The Lakers were crowned the 2025 Midwest Regional Champion team after beating the Tritons of Missouri-St. Louis (UMSL) in the regional final on March 18th. UMSL took the lead initially, but the Lakers fought back. The team traded the lead back and forth throughout the game with LSSU taking a 2 point lead at halftime. The back and forth continued until a stunning 3-point corner shot by junior Kendall Smith swung the tide in favor of the Lakers near the end. LSSU kept the momentum going and closed out the game with a 75-62 win. To read more, click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

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The Lake Superior State Lakers\u2019 historic season came to an end on Tuesday, March 25th with a hard-fought loss to the Dallas Baptist Patriots in the Elite Eight. Despite a strong start and valiant effort to fight back in the second half, DBU\u2019s late surge secured their spot in the Final Four. Devin Womack led the Lakers with 20 points, while Tyson Edmondson and Hunter Soper added key contributions. Get the full story and box score from the game,\u00a0click here<\/a>.<\/p>\n

\"\"To cheer the team on from afar, LSSU hosted watch parties throughout the March Madness tournament. These events, held in the Cisler Center Galley, were open to students and community members and funded by several campus organizations. A fan bus traveled to Evansville, Indiana, for the Elite Eight game, carrying enthusiastic Laker students along with Music Director Casey Snyder and 22 members of the Lake Superior Sound Wave Pep Band, all there to cheer on the Men\u2019s Basketball Team. Their spirited support brought energy and school pride to the national stage. When the team arrived home on March 26th, they were greeted with an enthusiastic welcome from students and community members!<\/p>\n

We\u2019re already excited for what next season holds! With the incredible momentum from this year, we can\u2019t wait to cheer the Lakers on to even greater success. Let\u2019s go Lakers!<\/p>\n

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<\/h6>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

The LSSU Lakers men\u2019s basketball team had an\u00a0incredible\u00a0season, wrapping up with an impressive 30-7 record. They made an\u00a0historic\u00a0run to the Elite 8 in the NCAA Division II tournament\u2014the first time …<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":12,"featured_media":3146,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":[],"categories":[8],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2349"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/12"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=2349"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2349\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/3146"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=2349"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=2349"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/lakerlog.lssu.edu\/spring25\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=2349"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}