Feb. 19, 2009

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Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State used a three-pointer from Elizabeth Van Tiflin with 21 seconds left to take a one-point lead and held on for a 69-66 victory over Lake Superior State on Thursday (Feb. 19) at Fieldhouse Arena. The Van Tiflin trifecta was one of GVSU's season-high 14 triples, as it shot an even 50.0 percent for the game from beyond the arc.

The last-minute win concluded the season sweep and pushed Grand Valley State's record to 18-6 overall with a 14-5 record in the GLIAC. Lake Superior State falls to 15-12 on the year with an 8-11 conference tally.

In a game that featured six ties and 18 lead changes, GVSU was able to pull ahead in the final minute of the game. Prior to that, Grand Valley State took a two-point advantage at the 4:03 mark on a three-pointer from freshman point guard Jasmine Padin. 17 seconds later, Lake Superior State answered with a triple of its own from Nicole Marshall and led 65-64. The score stayed that way until LSSU's Alyssa VanderWal's free throw gave the visitors a two-point advantage.

VanderWal missed the second freebie and that set the stage for Van Tiflin. She took a pass from freshman guard Emma Veach and drained her second three-pointer of the night and was fouled after the shot. Since the foul was ruled after the bucket, GVSU also received the ball. After Lake Superior State fouled three straight times to put the home team at the line, Van Tiflin's front end of the 1-and-1 was off the mark and LSSU rebounded the miss.

Lake Superior State missed a shot inside the paint from Ronlea Peterson, but LSSU recorded the offensive board. The visitors turned the ball over on the next in-bounds and when GVSU got the ball back, Padin knocked down a pair of free throws to escape with the big conference victory.

At the half, LSSU led 33-30 after shooting 52.0 percent (13-of-25) in the first frame, in which it led by as many as six points. Grand Valley State rallied early in the second half with three straight triples, including a pair of Padin threes sandwiched around a Veach trey. GVSU actually extended the game to a 52-42 score with 12 minutes left before Lake Superior State put forth a 12-0 run to re-gain the lead at 54-52. The game would be tied two more times and change hands eight times throughout the final nine minutes.

Padin continued her recent strong shooting by knocking down 8-of-14 field goals for 23 points. She was 5-of-8 from beyond the arc and added five steals and four assists. Veach was the only other GVSU player in double digits, as she recorded 13 points, five rebounds, four assists, and three steals.

To go along with her go-ahead three-pointer, Van Tiflin totaled a team-high seven rebounds and added six points. The 14 three-pointers by GVSU were just two shy of the school record, set in a 2007 game against Northern Michigan. Grand Valley State's 50.0 percent shooting from downtown was its best figure of the season. GVSU made 9-of-15 long distance attempts in the second half.

Grand Valley State forced 20 Lake Superior State turnovers and led in points off of turnovers, 23-17. LSSU won the rebounding edge, 36-29, and led in points in the paint, 32-18. For the game, Lake Superior State shot 52.0 percent while the home team knocked down 40.0 percent of its shots.

GVSU is on the hardwood again on Saturday (Feb. 21), as Saginaw Valley State comes to town. Tip-off is scheduled for 6:00 p.m.