SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – The Lawrence Technological University men's basketball team opened their 2018-2019 season with a win on the road against Great Lakes Christian College 75-68 on October 24. They move to 1-0 overall.

Leading the team in points was Jalen Bethel (FR/Columbus, Ohio) with 23. He had five defensive rebounds and seven offensive rebounds, nine two pointers and went 50% on the line for LTU. Right behind him was Ty Searles (SR/Pontiac, Mich.) with 17 points. He Had 17 defensive rebounds for the Blue Devils, made all four of his free throws, scored one three pointer and went 6-11 inside the three point line. Tying with Searles was Devonte Myles(SR/Tampa, Fla.), also grabbing 17 points. He had two offensive rebounds, four defensive rebounds and went 7 for 9 from the field, only missing one of his four chances on the foul line.

Alek Ivanovic got the first basket of the season, giving Lawrence Tech a 3-0 lead. Ty Searles followed with a jumper to make it 5-2. The Lakes tied it up at 5-5 to start the back-and-forth game as they had two ties and three lead changes to make it 23-16 with 6:30 left in the first half. Lawrence Tech closed the first half on a 10-6 run to hold a 35-29 lead heading into the lockerooms. 

Great Lakes Christian (0-1) had no answer for Lawrence Tech in the second half as the Blue Devils extended their halftime lead to 40-29 following an Ivanovic three.  The Blue Devils struggled from the field for a period of time, going 0-for-7, but Daylon Blakely hit a jumper to give Lawrence Tech a 48-38 lead with 13:06 left in the game. The Lakes battled back to within one, 51-50, with 9:53 on the clcok, but an 8-2 run put the Blue Devils back up by seven, 59-52 with 5:55 remaining. Lawrence Tech had five turnover over the next 3:09 to let Great Lakes tie it at 62-62. 

The Blue Devils hit two quick jumpers to make it a four point game as they took a 70-64 lead with just over a minute to play. Great Lakes Christian responded with a three to make it a three point game, however the Blue Devils went 3-for-4 at the line down the stretch to win 75-68. Lawrence Tech went 53.8% from the field, wiping out GLCC's 33.8%. They also had 49 rebounds compared to the 20 from the home team, 39 of which came from the defense.

Next up for the Blue Devils is a trip to Whiting, Ind. to play in the Calumet St. Joseph Tournament which starts on November 2.

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