Men's Basketball
Opponents – Friday vs. Guelph Gryphons, Saturday vs. Lakehead Thunderwolves
Breakdown
The Lakers continue to impress and take huge steps in the right direction.
Another weekend sweep – their second of the season and two more road wins have the Lakers just one game away from hitting the .500 mark.
Nipissing has won three in a row and are 6-3 in their past nine games and all that has them as the top team in the RPI rankings, aside from the four division leaders.
With two teams who are also battling for playoff positioning, the Lakers will need to play a strong game at both ends of the court, just like they have been doing the past month or so.
Right now, Lakehead would be Nipissing's first round opponent, but the Lakers are more concerned about playing strong and finding a way to continue their winning streak.
Keys to Victory
In Friday's win, the Lakers had six players hit double-digits – an impressive feat, as three of those players came off the bench.
In Saturday's victory, there were three who hit 10-plus points, including one off the bench.
Getting key minutes from non-starters has and will continue to be the biggest thing the Lakers have going for them, as they utilize their depth well on both sides of the ball.
Having so many options make the Lakers tough to compete with.
Players to Watch
Jaaden Lewis – The current Lakers Athlete of the Week, Lewis had an impressive weekend, putting up 25 points and 10 rebounds in 49 minutes of play during the two wins on the weekend.
In both games he came off the bench and had strong efforts to give the Lakers a boost.
He now has five games where he's hit the double-digit mark in points, including two 20-plus point efforts.
Ismael Kaba – The steady veteran has stepped up his game this season, including back-to-back double-digit point efforts.
Including pre-season, Kaba has eight 10-plus point games and almost more important than his point totals, is his ability to make clutch shots.
He had a last-second game-winner against Laurier earlier in the season and made a late layup to put the game away against Brock on home court, to seal the win.
His consistency and clutch play will be counted on this weekend.
