Jan. 15, 2009

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Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State came from 14 points down at halftime on Thursday night (Jan. 15) to defeat Ashland, 79-75, in Allendale, Mich. Freshman point guard Jasmine Padin knocked down eight three-pointers on her way to a career-high 27 points in helping the Lakers outscore AU, 51-33, in the second half.

The victory runs GVSU's winning streak to nine straight games, as the Lakers have not lost since falling to Ferris State on Dec. 1. Grand Valley State improves to 12-2 overall with an 8-1 record in GLIAC play, while Ashland falls to 9-5 overall and holds a 5-4 league record. The Lakers' nine-game winning streak is the longest since the 2005-06 team that won the Division II National Championship rattled off a 22-game unbeaten stretch.

Early in the game, both teams were tied at 5-5 before the Eagles went on a 13-0 run, including three AU three-pointers. Leading 18-5, Ashland maintained a double-digit lead throughout the rest of the first half and led by as many as 18 points (36-18), while the Lakers could not cut the lead to single digits. A jumper from AU guard Lacy Romine with under a minute to play put the Eagles on top, 42-28, at intermission. It was only the fourth time all season GVSU trailed at halftime - the Lakers were 2-1 in previous contests.

Grand Valley State shot well in the opening half, connecting at a 41.4 percent (12-of-29) clip, but Ashland knocked down an even 50.0 percent (17-of-34) from the field. AU connected on five three-pointers, while GVSU made four from long distance. Padin scored 12 in the opening 20 minutes, while AU's Romine had 17 points at the break.

The teams traded buckets in the first few minutes of the second half before Grand Valley State began to make its run. Trailing by 15 points (50-35) with just under 17 minutes remaining, Padin connected on a pair of free throws, freshman guard Kelly Kretz scored on a layup, junior forward Lauren Buresh knocked down a three-pointer, and senior Kim Wyngaard made a jumper in the paint. All of a sudden, Grand Valley State trailed just 50-44 and its 9-0 run took just 2:21 off of the clock.

Ashland responded and held off the Lakers to keep a six-point advantage at 57-51. Wyngaard put down a pair of freebies and Padin connected on consecutive three-pointers to up the score to 59-57, giving Grand Valley State its first lead since the 16:26 mark of the opening half, when the score was 5-4.

The Lakers would not trail again in the game, although Ashland tied the score at 61-61 with over six minutes remaining. Padin broke the tie for good with her seventh three-pointer of the game to put GVSU ahead, 64-61. With the Lakers holding a 72-69 advantage with 1:20 left in the game, Padin drained her eighth three-pointer of the game, giving GVSU a lead it would not relinquish.

Padin's eight three-pointers are one off of the Grand Valley State school record, set by former Laker Erin Cyplik, who hit nine triples at Northern Michigan on Jan. 13, 2007. She set her career-high with 27 points and added seven assists and a career-high seven rebounds. Her 27 points are the most by a GVSU player this season.

Wyngaard added 16 points, four rebounds, and three assists for the Lakers, while sophomore forward Kara Crawford was the third GVSU player in double-digits with 10 points. Sophomore guard Elizabeth Van Tiflin tied Padin with a team-high seven boards.

The Lakers turned the ball over only 13 times in the game and just twice after the intermission. GVSU ended up shooting 46.6 from the field, made a season-high 11 three-pointers, and knocked down 77.8 percent (14-of-18) of its free throws.

Grand Valley State continues its four-game home stretch with a 1:00 p.m. game against Tiffin on Saturday (Jan. 17). GVSU defeated the Dragons, 66-55, on Dec. 4 to begin its current win streak.