PAINESVILLE, Ohio - Following a near two-week layoff, the Walsh Cavaliers men's basketball team returned to the court in Painesville for the 2021-22 Great Midwest opener against the Lake Erie Storm. 

Walsh nearly went wire-to-wire for a 69-47 win over the Storm, improving to 2-2 overall and 1-0 in the G-MAC.

• Score: Walsh 69, Lake Erie 47
• Location: Painesville, Ohio (Osborne Center)
• Records: Walsh 2-2 (1-0), Lake Erie 4-2 (0-1)

HOW IT HAPPENED

• The Storm and the Cavaliers went back and forth throughout the duration of the first half. Walsh opened a six-point lead twice in the first two minutes of the period before expanding the lead to seven a few times. After Garrison Keeslar made it 23-14 with a layup, Lake Erie cut the lead to three with a 6-0 run over three minutes. The Cavaliers responded with a 8-0 run, including four points from Caleb Canter. The Storm raged back into a four-point game at halftime with an 8-1 run over the final 3:46. Walsh led 32-28 at the break. 
• Walsh opened the second half with a 24-5 run over the first ten minutes as they took control of the ballgame. Owen Hazelbaker and Canter took over during the run as Hazelbaker scored the first seven points and totaled ten. Canter tallied eight points on four buckets. Lake Erie got within 15 but Walsh won the game 69-47. 

FOR THE CAVALIERS

• Owen Hazelbaker led the Cavaliers with a career-high 20 points on eight-of-13 shooting, including four three pointers. 
• Caleb Canter scored 16 points on eight field goals with four rebounds. 
• Milan Square tallied eight points with eight rebounds. 
• Garrison Keeslar had eight points, seven assists and eight rebounds for another near triple-double. 
• Darryl Straughter continued his trek to the top five of the program's scoring list with eight points, six rebounds and four assists. 

FOR THE STORM

• Leon Hughes led the way for LEC with 13 points and seven rebounds.
• Jackson Burdyshaw was in double-figures with ten points off the bench. 
• Kevin Peterson was tied for the team lead with seven rebounds. 

BEHIND THE NUMBERS

• Walsh finished the game with a 49.1% (28-57) shooting percentage while shooting 38.9% from deep. The Cavaliers made seven threes and six free throws. 
• Lake Erie shot 29.9% (20-67) from the floor in the game and was cold from beyond the arc, shooting only 7.7% (2-26). 
• Walsh totaled 44 rebounds and 21 assists. The Storm finished with 36 rebounds, 15 assists and three blocks.

Walsh will step away from conference play on Saturdayas they will host Roberts Wesleyan on Saturday (Dec. 4) at 5:00 PM.

-WC-