The Lakeland men's basketball travelled to Jamestown Community College tonight and came away with a season opening 75-68 victory. The depth of the Lakers was a key component in this game. Lakeland's bench outscored its own starters 24-18. Overall, it was a very balanced attack as 10 different players scored. Alex Benson, Jareon Mayo, Chris Tackett, and Mark Wise each scored 6 points in the opening half for the Lakers. Justin Covington scored 5 points for the Lakers while PJ Daniels and Bishop Thomas each pitched in with 4 points. The Lakers shot over 48% (15-31) from the field and over 73% from the free throw line. The only negative in the first half was that the Lakers shot just 9% (1-11) from the arc. The Lakers held a 42-36 advantage at the break. Lakeland maintained a balanced attack in the second half as 7 different players scored. Alex Benson led the way with 11 points while Adam Williams picked up 8 points for the Lakers. The key point in the half was just over 5 minutes to play in the game and the Lakers were hanging on to a 60-56 lead. Jareon Mayo then calmly stepped to the line and sank two free throws to expand the lead to 62-56. After a Jayhawks miss, Justin Covington drained a jump shot to make it 64-56 for the Lakers. After a Jayhawks turnover, Alex Benson drained a 3-pointer for an 11 point 67-56 advantage and the Lakers cruised from there. The Lakers shot 91% from the free throw line in the second half (10-11) and a blistering 58.8% (10-17) from the field.

The Lakers had 3 players score in double figures as Alex Benson led the way with 17 points while Jareon Mayo and Adam Williams each picked up 10 points. Chris Tackett and Justin Covington each scored 8 points while Bishop Thomas finished with 7 points for Lakeland. PJ Daniels and Mark Wise each scored 6 points in the Lakers win.

T's Talk: "Our bench came ready to play and was the difference in tonight's game. Alex and Chris were huge on the court and were a major factor on both ends of the floor. Adam was also very strong tonight and did a nice job getting into the paint and breaking down the defense. Great team effort - everyone played a part tonight."

Next Up: The Lakers travel to Oakland Community College in Michigan on Saturday to face the Raiders. Tip off is scheduled for 3:00 pm.