Dec. 21, 2007

Final Stats

Nassau, Bahamas - Despite a perfect shooting day from Kim Wyngaard, Grand Valley State fell 65-43 to No. 9 Valdosta State in the Sunshine Shootout Championship. Wyngaard shot 7-7 from the field, scoring 16 points and grabbing seven rebounds. Both Wyngaard and Erin Cyplik were named to the All-Tournament team for their performances. Grand Valley State University is now 7-4 (3-0) on the year and will come back to Allendale, Mich. to take on North Kentucky on Saturday, Dec. 29, with tip-off at 1 p.m.

Grand Valley started strong, jumping out to an early 4-0 lead at the 16:13 mark. Wyngaard and Cyplik scored the first two baskets of the game for Grand Valley, and they ended up as the team's leading scorers with 16 and 11 points, respectively. A layup and a three-pointer from Valdosta quickly erased the lead and put the Blazers up 5-4. Cyplik scored eight of her 11 points over the next 2:16 to put Grand Valley up 12-5, giving her 10 points in the early going.

Two quick three-pointers by the Blazers put them right back in it, down just one with 9:01 remaining in the first half. Kara Crawford scored on a layup, was fouled, and hit the free throw to complete a three-point play and then Cyplik scored the last of her 11 points to give Grand Valley a 18-11 lead with just less than seven minutes left in the half. Valdosta scored 12 of the last 14 points of the half, though, capped off by a Carley Peterson three-pointer with less than a minute left, to send the teams into the break 23-20 in favor of the Blazers.

A three-pointer by Elizabeth Van Tiflin shortly after the break tied the game at 25-25 before the Blazers broke the game open. 11 of the next 13 points went the Valdosta to put them up 36-27. GVSU threatened when a long ball by Wyngaard cut the deficit to four, 38-34, with just more than 11 minutes remaining, but they were never able to make the game any closer. With the score 40-36 in favor of the Blazers, Valdosta scored 12 straight points to move out to a 16-point lead.

A long ball from Peterson stretched the Blazers' lead to 20 with 4:30 left in the game and that lead went all the way to 25 points when Julie Kongeskov scored on a layup with 1:24 left. Wyngaard scored the last five points of the match for Grand Valley, bringing the final score to 65-43.