KIRTLAND, Ohio – Lakeland men's basketball trailed by one point after the half but stormed back in the second half to beat Clark State Community College 87-77 Saturday night.
Rob Brown only missed one of nine shots from the field to lead Lakeland with 23 points to help the Lakers improve to 13-3 overall and 3-1 in Ohio Community College Athletic Conference play.
Tyreke Johnson made four 3-pointers to score 21 for Lakeland while Chandler Fointno and John Dawson each scored 10 in the win.
Johnson scored 13 of his 21 points in the first half but Lakeland struggled to hold on to a lead. Lakeland did start good in the first half as Fointno hit a 3 to give Lakeland a 27-16 lead with 11:33 left in the half.
Lakeland held a 42-36 lead with 1:43 left but was outscored 9-2 in the remaining time of the first half as Clark State took a 45-44 lead into the half.
Brown was big in the second half by making all four of his field goals and went 7-of-8 from the free throw line to score 15 of his 23 points in the latter half.
Dawson hit a layup as part of the fast second-half start to give Lakeland a 57-48 lead with 16:53 left in the game. The Lakers continued to extend their lead as Isaiah Washington hit a 3-pointer for a 76-59 lead with 7:52 left.
Clark State made the game slightly closer in the end but Lakeland held on for the 10-point victory.
Lakeland will hit the road on Wednesday, Jan. 16 with a game against Cuyahoga Community College at 7 p.m. Cuyahoga is the only Division II team above Lakeland in the standings with a 4-0 record in the OCCAC.
For more information about Lakeland athletics, visit www.athletics.lakelandcc.edu.
About Lakeland Community College
Founded in 1967, Lakeland Community College was the first college in Ohio created by a vote of the people. True to our mission, Lakeland provides quality learning opportunities to meet the social and economic needs of the community.
Offering day, evening, weekend and online classes, the college serves more than 10,800 credit and 2,800 noncredit students (2016). For more information about the College, visit www.lakelandcc.edu.
