Series history: 11th meeting, Lakeland leads 10-0
The series between the Muskies and Lions dates back to the teams' first meeting Jan. 27, 2001. Lakeland won that one and has won every matchup since, all ten meetings. The most recent was a 59-49 win on the road in Michigan Dec. 19, 2018, a game where the Muskies led by as much as 22 points before Finlandia closed the gap late. The last time the teams met at the Moose & Dona Woltzen Gymnasium was Nov. 15, 2017, when the Muskies outscored Finlandia 36-11 in the second quarter on the way to a 78-59 win in both teams' season opener.

Lakeland last time out: Lost at #17 UW-Oshkosh 79-40 Monday
The Muskies opened their season with a difficult assignment, playing on the road at a UW-Oshkosh team ranked 17th in the D3hoops.com top 25 preseason poll that was playing its second game and was coming off a struggle in its season opener. The Titans took a 14-2 lead less than four minutes in and Lakeland would never get within single digits again. The Muskies did cut a 22-point deficit down to 13 early in the second half, but UWO responded with a 25-2 run. Kacey Gardner was the brightest spot for Lakeland with 13 points and Ellie Felsinger added seven points.

About the Muskies: Lakeland finished 6-6 overall playing 12 games earlier this year in the spring 2020-21 season abbreviated due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Head coach Amber Peterson is in her second year leading the team after seven years as an assistant, and she faces a challenge with three starters who graduated, including 1,000-point scorer Megan Will, who led the team in scoring and rebounding and was the only to average in double figures in the spring. Senior Kacey Gardner and sophomore Alexa Yost are the lone returning starters and senior Hayley Walding also started three games in the spring. Morgan Zenon, Alicia Thone and twins Chanel and Chassity Bradford also are returning seniors.

Finlandia last time out: Lost to UW-Oshkosh 60-53 Friday
The Muskies and Lions already have a common opponent this year as Finlandia hosted UW-Oshkosh in the Upper Peninsula of Michigan in its season opener Friday and put a scare into the Titans. Carsyn Osterman hit a three-pointer to tie the score at 45-45 with just over five minutes left in the game, but Oshkosh outscored Finlandia 10-1 over the next 4:22 and survived the Lions' upset bid. Osterman scored a game- and career-high 22 points and also added seven rebounds and five assists in a terrific performance and Bailey Froberg added 15 points.

About the Lions: Finlandia comes down from Hancock, Mich., in the Keweenaw Peninsula portion of the northern U.P. of Michigan, and the Lions showed promise in the spring with a 5-1 record playing a reduced schedule during the COVID-19 pandemic, including wins over Martin Luther (Minn.) and UW-Superior. All five starters return for that team, including Mariah Austin, who began her career at Lakeland back in the 2018-19 season, attending the school for the first semester.