By Patrick Gordon/Lakeland Sports Information 

Kirtland, OH---Sophomore Charles Oliver led four players in double figures as Lakeland Community College defeated visiting Spire Institute 94-69 in non-conference men's basketball action Tuesday night inside the Athletic & Fitness Center.  The Lakers improve to 8-4 overall with the win, which comes four days ahead of their conference opener against nationally-ranked Cincinnati State on Saturday afternoon.

Oliver finished an efficient six of eight from the floor and 10 of 12 from the charity stripe for a game-high 23 points – one shy of his career high.  Classmate Deran Banton added 20 points and a career-high six steals while Martell Medley chipped in 15 points to go along with seven assists.  Sophomore forward Richard Smith added 11 points, nine rebounds, and four blocks in the victory.

LCC extended a five point (40-35) halftime lead by outscoring Spire 54-34 over the final 20 minutes of play.  The visitors managed to level the game at 45 with just over 16 minutes remaining in the second half and were within three (55-52) with 13 minutes to go before the hosts rattled off a 27-6 run to effectively shut the door.

The Lakers' defense forced 28 turnovers on the night, leading to 31 points.  Lakeland also held a sizeable 58-20 advantage on points in the paint and was plus-20 in fastbreak points.

Lakeland will travel to Tiffin, Ohio on Thursday night to take on Heidelberg University JV in its final non-conference tune-up before welcoming the Surge to the AFC on Saturday at 3:00 p.m.  The Lakers split the season series with Cincinnati last year, defeating the Surge on the road in the conference opener before falling on a neutral court in mid-February.

Notes:

- Martell Medley's seven assists are one shy of his career high, set earlier in the year against Butler County Community College (Dec. 1).

- Lakeland finished the game with six blocks and is averaging 7.1 per game on the year – good for third in the country.

- The Lakers are currently ranked in the top-10 nationally in a number of statistical categories including points per game (92.2, 6th), field goals made per game (34.0, 8th), and steals per game (14.6, 6th).