Jan. 16, 2010

Box Score

Tiffin, Ohio - In another strong defensive effort, Grand Valley State picked up its eighth consecutive victory by defeating Tiffin, 63-54, on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 16). GVSU held the Dragons to just 47 shots and a 40.4 percent clip, while the Lakers had eight players score least five points in their fourth straight road win.

Grand Valley State is now 12-3 on the year with an 8-2 record in the GLIAC, while Tiffin falls to 1-14 overall and 0-10 in conference play. In winning their eighth straight game, the Lakers have not lost since Dec. 12 at Findlay, which was also their last road defeat. GVSU also went an impressive 5-0 in the past nine days, with all five victories being conference wins.

The game was tied early at 8-8 before the Lakers used a 10-2 run to open up an 18-10 score. Five different players scored during the run, as jumpers from sophomore Alvin Storrs and freshman Breland Hogan ended the stretch. Tiffin then responded with a 12-4 run to knot the score at 22-22 with just over six minutes remaining in the half.

At that point, GVSU put together a game-changing 13-0 run to jump back on top 35-22 approaching halftime. Hogan drained a three-pointer, junior Toreau Brown scored on a jumper, and a Tony Peters jumpshot put the Lakers up by seven points. Junior K'Len Morris then drilled back-to-back three-pointers in a 34-second span to give GVSU its biggest lead of the ballgame. A late Tiffin trifecta made the score, 35-23 at halftime.

In the opening 20 minutes, the Lakers shot 51.7 percent from the field and made 4-of-8 three-point attempts. Tiffin shot 38.5 percent from the floor, while GVSU owned an 18-13 edge in rebounds. TU turned the ball over seven times, while Grand Valley State committed eight miscues in the first half.

An early jumper from Wes Trammell put the score at 37-27 before Tiffin creeped back into the game. A 10-1 run by the Dragons, capped off by a three-pointer from Brian Scott, allowed Tiffin to trial, 38-37. That is as close as the Dragons would get, as GVSU would own a slim advantage for the rest of the game. Leading 49-46, Grand Valley State received a big three-pointer from Trammell and a bucket from junior Justin Ringler to move up by eight points at 54-46.

With nearly four minutes left in the game and the Lakers nursing a four-point advantage, a dunk from Nick West was followed by another Trammell three-pointer and GVSU led by nine points at 59-50. Grand Valley State would close out the game with some free throws, although the Lakers shot just 8-of-14 at the line for a 57.1 percent clip.

For the game, GVSU shot 44.4 percent from the field and made 7-of-15 three-pointers for a 46.7 percent clip. Tiffin shot 40.4 percent from the floor, but attempted just 47 shots in the contest. The Dragons were forced into a dozen turnovers and made just 6-of-18 three-point attempts.

Ringler and Trammell were the lone Lakers in double-figures, as both players scored 10 points. All 10 of Trammell's points came in the second half, while Ringler added seven rebounds and six assists. Morris added nine points off the GVSU bench, as he drained three trifectas in 16 minutes. Peters had his best game as a Laker, scoring a career-high eight points, with two boards and two assists in 18 minutes.

Grand Valley State will take its four-game road win streak to Northwood next Thursday (Jan. 21) for an 8:00 p.m. match-up with the Timberwolves.