Start strong, finish strong. Maybe easier said than done, but those are two aspects that are key in any sport – whether it's the start of the season, game, period or quarter.

The Nipissing Lakers men's basketball team accomplished half that saying, by winning their final game before the Christmas break, a 71-56 triumph over Algoma.

Now, it's part two – starting well in the second half of the season, which begins this weekend against the Laurentian Voyageurs.

The Lakers enter the contest with a 1-6 record, but are just one win – two points – behind the Vees for the final playoff spot in the OUA North Division.

The two teams will play twice this semester and the team that comes out more successful will likely find themselves in the post-season.

The Lakers haven't put up the kind of numbers they'd like and sit as the second lowest scoring team in the league, but defensively they are much improved.

They are near the middle in terms of team defence, which has kept them in games all season long.

While they haven't been dominant offensively, they have shown a lot of balance when scoring the ball, with three players averaging at least nine points per game, and six over five points per game.

Marcus Lewis leads the attack, averaging 13.3 in seven games and leads the teams in minutes played as well.

Lewis also leads the team in rebounds per game, averaging eight.

Marvin Ngonadi and Jordon Campbell have also stepped up in their second year with Nipissing, each contributing big time to the success of the team so far.

Ngonadi is putting up 9.9 points per game and Campbell is right at the nine mark – both taking the pressure of Lewis and Joey Puddister, who seem to never leave the court.

The game this weekend kicks off a five game homestand for Nipissing, who will look to make a push for the playoffs in the second season in the CIS.

After Laurentian, the Lakers fill face Laurier, Waterloo, Toronto and Ryerson, teams that have a combined 13-19 record.

Regardless of what the stats say, what the standings are, or who's the favourite, Nipissing will have to play very well to get past these teams and put themselves in a position to compete in the post-season.

The balance they have shown through the first half of the year, if it continues, will go a long way to seeing the team advance.

Game time this weekend, Saturday night, is 8 p.m. at the RJS Athletic Centre.