(SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich.) – Walsh got off to a strong start against Lake Superior State, but couldn't hold on as the defending GLIAC champions went on to win 70-55 Saturday afternoon. The Cavaliers fall to 5-3 overall and 1-3 in the conference, while the Lakers improve to 7-1 overall and remain unbeaten in the GLIAC at 4-0.

Jesse Hardin Jr. (6-2, Jr., Warren, OH/Harding) opened the game with a pair of 3-pointers and Jeff Copeland (6-5, Sr., Toledo, OH/St. John's Jesuit) added another to give Walsh a quick 9-0 lead just over two minutes into the game. Momentum stayed on the Cavaliers' side through the first media timeout with 14:10 left in the first half as Walsh led 17-10 after an LJ Campbell (6-8, Sr., Weirton, WV/Weir) jumper.

Afterwards, Lake Superior State went on a 20-0 run that put the momentum in its favor and left Walsh playing catch-up. During that time, the Cavs went 11:32 without scoring a point. Davonte Beard (6-2, Sr., Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) finally broke the slump with a layup with 2:49 left in the half to make the score 30-19. The Lakers kept the pressure on and went into halftime with a 40-26 advantage.

In the second half, Walsh made a comeback attempt and cut Lake Superior's lead to five points after a 13-4 run that included three Hardin Jr. 3-pointers made the score 44-39 with 13:40 to play. That would be the closest the Cavs could get the rest of the way as the Lakers pushed their lead back to 13 points shortly afterwards and led by as many as 17.

Hardin Jr. finished with a game-high 27 points and was a rebound shy of a double-double. The bulk of those points came from behind the arc as he was 8-of-15 on 3-pointers. Beard was the other Cavalier to score in double figures as he tallied 13 points.

Tony Harris paced the Lakers with 12 points off the bench.

Walsh is off until the new year when it hosts Hillsdale on Friday, Jan. 2. Tip-off is set for 7:30 p.m.