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A 27-3 run midway through the first half broke the game open on Saturday afternoon for Lourdes as the Gray Wolves tipped off the 2016-2017 season with an 83-48 victory over Akron Wayne at the Russell J. Ebeid Recreation Center.
 
"This was a great opener for us," head coach Josh Gibson said.  "We got the win and played as a team.  We did some good things, and met the goals we set as a team for this game.  We did a really good job of taking care of the basketball, turning it over just nine times.  The best thing though is that we can still get better and there are lots of things we can learn from this game."
 
The Gray Wolves limited the Warriors to just one field goal, a three-pointer, over a 10-minute span while opening up the lead quickly.  Lourdes led 38-10 with 6:30 to play before halftime before taking a 49-17 lead into the locker room.
 
Lourdes shot 55.9% from the floor, and made 7-of-13 (53.8%) three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes while limiting Akron Wayne to just 22.2% shooting. 
 
In the second half, Lourdes never let the lead fall below 32 points, and led by as many as 39 on the way to the win.
 
Najeeb Johnson (Cleveland Heights, Ohio/Cleveland Heights H.S.) led the Gray Wolves with 20 points, 16 of which came in the first half, while also grabbing nine rebounds.  Desmond Frazier (Ocala, Fla./Dunnellon H.S.) added 16 points on 6-of-8 shooting, including four triples, while Malik Thurman (Dayton, Ohio/Stebbins H.S.) added 15 points.
 
Levert Bristol (Dothan, Ala./Northview H.S.) pulled down a team-high 10 rebounds, helping the Gray Wolves hold a 50-43 advantage on the glass.  Lourdes finished the game shooting 45.8% from the floor and handed out 17 assists while committing just the nine miscues.
 
Ci'Andre Johnson-Lollar led Akron Wayne (0-1) with 17 points while also grabbing 10 boards to finish with a double-double.  The Warriors shot 31.3% from the floor as a team, including just 4-of-23 (17.4%) from three-point range and committed 18 turnovers.
 
Lourdes (1-0) will head to the Best Western Classic on Friday and Saturday in Goshen, Ind.  The Gray Wolves face the tournament host, 16^th-ranked Goshen, on Friday in a 6 p.m. contest in Gunden Gymnasium.