SOUTHFIELD, Mich. – Lawrence Technological University men's basketball split a pair of games at the Kalamazoo Thanksgiving Classic on Friday, November 23, and Saturday, November 24, against Kalamazoo College and Cincinnati Christian University. The Blue Devils were led by Ty Searles (SR/Pontiac, Mich.)' 22.0 points per game over the weekend.

LTU (5-5, 2-1) claimed a double-digit victory over the host Hornets of Kalamazoo on Friday night, 84-74. Searles scored 14 of his game-high 34 points in the first half. The Blue Devils opened with a 10-0 run and wouldn't look back, taking a 44-35 advantage into the break.

The Blue Devils' lead inflated to 17, powered by a trio of three pointers by Carter Frantz(FR/Dansville, Mich.). Frantz would finish with 20 points. Kalamazoo fought back, though, over the final seven minutes, cutting the lead to three.

Merritt Hamann made it a one-point game, 73-72, with 1:59 left on the clock. That is where seniors Searles and Devonte Myles (SR/Tampa, Fla.) would take over, combining for eight points in the final stretch.

In game two of the tournament, Lawrence Tech's momentum from the night prior would not carry over into Saturday against the Eagles. LTU's starters would only muster 32 points in the 91-72 loss that saw the two sides combine for 72 three-point attempts.

Tyler Balon (FR/Port Huron, Mich.) came off the bench for a team-high 12 points. Searles finished the effort with 10 to keep his streak of scoring in double figures in every game this season alive. Searles is averaging 21.7 points per game this season. Myles and Isiah Cumberland finished with 9 and 8, respectively.

From the beginning, the Blue Devils struggled from the field. LTU's 37.7 percent from the floor could not keep Lawrence Tech in the outing with CCU shooting 48.4 percent. The woes carried over from beyond the arc, as the Blue Devils knocked down just 11-of-37 from deep.

The sides separated by just five, 14-9, five minutes into the game, the Eagles would go on an 11-0 run  to take control of the outing before taking a 45-20 lead into half. The deficit would be cut to 17 on several occasions in the second, but would grow no closer.

Lawrence Tech looks onward to another road game on November 28 to face Cornerstone University, a WHAC opponent who is ranked No. 7 in the NAIA. The Blue Devils then come home to play another nationally ranked team in No. 5 Indiana Institute of Technology on Saturday, December 1 at the Don Ridler Field House.