SOUTHFIELD--Senior forward Nathaniel Ward made 7 of 8 field goals on the way to a game- and season-high 18 points to lead the Lawrence Tech men's basketball team to a convincing 81-51 victory Saturday over visiting Cleary in Wolverine-Hoosier Athletic Conference action at the Don Ridler Field House. The Blue Devils move above .500 this season at 4-3 overall, including 1-1 in the WHAC, while the Cougars slip to 0-4 (0-1 WHAC).

Lawrence Tech Highlights

• Senior guard Brandon Beavers tallied 14 points and had a game-high five assists.
• Junior guards Cameron McEvans and Aaron Dolny added 15 and 10 points, respectively. McEvans also had five rebounds while making six of 11 field goal attempts.
• Ward also grabbed five rebounds while junior forward Ioannis Giannoultsis (5 points) led all student-athletes with eight rebounds.

Cleary Highlights

• Brockton Kohler led the Cougars with eight points and Bennie Crenshaw Jr. (7 points) had a team-best six rebounds.
• Anthony Ivey (4 points, 4 rebounds) and Crenshaw both chipped in two assists.

How it Happened

• Lawrence Tech used its size and muscle to outscore Cleary in the paint, 40-14.
• The Blue Devils shot 48.4 percent from the field (30-62) while holding the Cougars to a 27.0 clip (17-63).
• Kohler gave CU its only lead on the afternoon at 3-2 on 3 ball with 18 minutes and 53 seconds remaining.
• Then a free throw and layup by Ward put LTU ahead to stay, 5-3, at the 16:56 mark.
• Leading 21-17 with 6:37 to go, the Blue Devils ended the first half on a 26-8 run to take a commanding 47-25 advantage into the locker room. Dolny sparked the run with seven points
• The Cougars never got closer than 16 points in the second half.

Beyond the Boxscore

• Cleary is in its first year of sponsoring men's basketball as a varsity sport.

Lawrence Tech steps back onto the court on Tuesday (7:30 p.m.) against WHAC opponent Michigan-Dearborn at the DRFH.