Jan. 14, 2010

Box Score

Ashland, Ohio - A strong-shooting night for Grand Valley State, plus another stingy defensive performance, helped the Lakers capture their seventh straight victory, defeating Ashland 69-53 on Thursday night (Jan. 11) in Ashland, Ohio. The Eagles were averaging nearly 72 points per game, but the GVSU defense controlled the game and the Lakers notched their 11th win of the season.

Grand Valley State pushes its record to 11-3 overall with a 7-2 record in GLIAC play, while Ashland falls to 8-6 on the year with a 4-5 league mark. The Lakers have not lost since Dec. 12, when GVSU fell at Findlay, 70-57. Thursday night's win was the fifth straight conference victory for Grand Valley State, as it starts a four-game road trip.

After jumping out to a 9-2 lead behind four points from junior Toreau Brown and three points from sophomore center Nick West, the Lakers found themselves trailing the Eagles, 12-9, at the 8:41 mark. Ashland was on top, 14-13, when GVSU rattled off nine straight points to take a lead it would not relinquish. A jumper from Wes Trammell was followed by a jumpshot from West, who made his 11th straight field goal without a miss. Freshman Breland Hogan scored on a layup and Brown's three-pointer put the Lakers ahead, 22-14, with 3:40 left.

Less than a minute later, sophomore guard Alvin Storrs drained a trifecta, Brown buried two free throws, and Hogan added another layup for a 13-point cushion for GVSU. Ashland used a three-pointer at the buzzer to trail 29-20 at the half. 14 of the Lakers' 29 points in the first half came from the bench, as Grand Valley State shot 52.2 percent from the field. GVSU owned an 18-9 advantage on the glass, while holding Ashland to just a 36.4 percent mark from the field.

After the Eagles cut the score to a seven-point deficit early in the second half, GVSU received consecutive layups from junior Mike Przydzial and freshman Tony Peters to up the score to 33-22. Ashland's Kale Richardson would drain a three-pointer before junior Justin Ringler responded with a layup and Brown added a jumper from the paint to keep the double-digit lead. Ashland would get within nine points only two times the rest of the game, as GVSU would command a double-digit advantage for the rest of the half.

The Lakers' largest margin was the final deficit of 16 points over Ashland, which entered the game at 7-0 at home in Kates Gymnasium. GVSU held the hometown team to 40.5 percent shooting and just 5-of-15 on three-point attempts. Grand Valley State shot 56.4 percent from the floor and made 22-of-28 free throws. It was the fifth time in the last six games that the Lakers have made more free throws than their opponents have attempted, as Ashland was 14-of-21 at the charity stripe. GVSU more than doubled the Eagles in bench points (24-10) and owned leads in points in the paint (30-20) and points off of turnovers (16-9).

Brown led the way for the Lakers with a team-high 15 points. He made all six free throw attempts after entering the game at fifth in the GLIAC with an 84.1 free throw percentage. Ringler neared a double-double, as he totaled 11 points, a game-high seven rebounds, and five assists. Storrs provided 10 points, as he was 3-of-4 from the field and 3-of-3 at the line. Trammell added nine points, while Przydzial scored eight points in 19 minutes.

GVSU continues its swing through Ohio with a 3:00 p.m. game at Tiffin on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 16). The Lakers defeated TU, 63-49, on Dec. 3 in Allendale.