Jan. 13, 2007

Box Score

Marquette, Mich. - The #9-ranked GVSU Lakers trailed by as many as 12 points in the second half but were able to battle back for its second win in a week over host Northern Michigan Saturday afternoon in Marquette, Mich., 63-52. Mike Hall paced the Lakers with 18 points, including 11 second half points in the comeback win. GVSU improves to 14-2 overall and 6-2 in GLIAC competition, while NMU falls to 8-9 and 2-6 on the year.

Senior Mike Hall connected on a layup 10 seconds into the contest marking the last lead the Lakers would have for the next 36-plus minutes. The host Wildcats scored the next seven points to take a 7-2 lead and outscored the Lakers by a 31-23 margin in the opening half. The GVSU starters struggled in the first half as Jason Jamerson and Hall were the only members of the starting five to score with five and seven points. The Lakers were limited to 38.9 percent shooting from the floor in the first half, while the Wildcats connected on 42.9 percent of their shots.

Northern Michigan maintained its lead through the opening nine minutes of the second half and lengthened it to a game-high 12 with 11:38 to play. NMU scored five points over the next two and a half minutes to keep hold of a 10-point lead over the Lakers at 52-42 with 8:55 to play with a layup by Chris Warner. The basket would be Northern Michigan's last of the afternoon as the Lakers rolled off 21 unanswered points to claim the 63-52 road win. The 21-0 run was the second 20-plus to nothing run GVSU has had against NMU this season. The visiting Lakers shot 56.0 percent from the field in the second half en route to the win.

Junior center Callistus Eziukwu poured in 10 second half points to finish with his second double-double of the season as he ripped down 10 rebounds in the game as well. Jamerson and senior sixth-man Kyle Carhart also scored in double-digits in the game with Jamerson tallying 12 points on 3-of-6 shooting with a pair of threes. Carhart scored 13 points on the afternoon with a team-high six assists.

The Lakers will take on Marygrove College in a non-conference tilt on Wednesday, Jan. 17 at 7 pm in the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers will bring a perfect 8-0 non-conference record into the game and an eight game winning streak.