Jan. 23, 2010

Box Score

Detroit, Mich. - Grand Valley State shot just under 50.0 percent from the field and received 46 points from four freshmen to defeat Wayne State 69-61 on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 23) in Detroit, Mich. The Lakers used a career-high 21 points from freshman center Alex Stelfox to push their winning streak to seven straight games and a perfect 4-0 record on their four-game road trip.

The victory puts GVSU at 14-3 overall with an 11-1 record in the conference, while Wayne State falls to 4-13 on the year with a 2-10 mark in GLIAC play. Grand Valley State has not lost since Dec. 30 at Lake Erie, improving to 7-0 in 2010. The Lakers were perfect on their road trip, winning conference games at Ashland, Tiffin, Northwood, and Wayne State, as GVSU returns to Allendale for four straight home games.

Stelfox showed an early sign of having a big game against the Warriors, as the freshmen scored on a layup just 11 seconds into the game. WSU led early 8-4 before Grand Valley State put together an 11-0 run to push ahead 15-8. Freshman Briauna Taylor, fresh off of her 26-point performance at Northwood on Thursday night, scored on a jumper, which was followed by a layup from sophomore Kelly Kretz. The next seven points were scored by freshmen, as Brittany Taylor scored on a layup, point guard Lauren Stodola drained a jumper, and Brittany Taylor converted an old-fashioned three-point play with a jumpshot and free throw.

Later in the opening half, Stelfox made a pair of layups and a jumper for six straight GVSU points to put the Lakers ahead 21-12. Stodola's second three-pointer in just over a minute gave Grand Valley State an 11-point cushion at 32-21 with 3:49 remaining, its biggest advantage of the half. Wayne State would respond with a 10-2 run to close out the opening frame, leaving the Lakers ahead 34-31 at halftime.

In the first half, Grand Valley State shot 53.6 percent from the field (15-of-28), while the Warriors connected on 11-of-21 of its attempts for a 52.4 percentage. The Lakers were outrebounded, 15-12, but forced 11 WSU turnovers and owned a 22-6 lead in points in the paint.

Wayne State would knot the game at 37-37 early in the second half, but GVSU would quickly answer with a 10-1 run to push the game back open. Stelfox and Briauna Taylor would have consecutive three-point plays, as both players made a layup and the ensuing free throw. A minute later, Stelfox and Brittany Taylor would score on jumpers to put the Lakers on top, 47-38. Two more jumpshots by Stelfox and a bucket from Kretz would give GVSU a comfortable 11-point cushion at 53-42 with just over 11 minutes remaining.

The double-digit advantage would quickly disappear, as Wayne State would score the next eight points, cutting the score to 53-50 with 7:30 left in the game. However, the freshmen would torch the nets in the next minute, as Briauna Taylor would drain a three-pointer and Stelfox would score in the paint to open up a 58-50 lead. WSU scored four straight points before sophomore guard Emma Veach would sandwich a pair of jumpshots around a Stelfox layup to give the Lakers a 64-54 advantage with 1:55 left in the game, a big enough lead for GVSU to hold on for the victory.

For the game, Grand Valley State shot 49.1 percent from the field and owned a dominating 36-12 advantage in the paint, while also producing a 29-17 edge in bench points. The Lakers held Wayne State to just 32.3 percent shooting in the second half for a 40.4 percentage in the game. WSU committed 16 turnovers, as Grand Valley State turned those miscues into a dozen points.

Stelfox topped her previous career-high of 20 points against Tiffin on Dec. 3 by shooting 10-of-16 from the field for a game-high 21 points. She added three rebounds and a pair of steals, while scoring in double figures for the 12th time this season. Veach had another strong all-around game with 13 points, six rebounds, six assists, and a pair of steals. She shot 5-of-11 from the field.

Briauna Taylor notched 10 points, four reboun, and three assists, while sister Brittany added seven points on 3-of-3 shooting in 11 minutes. Stodola added eight points, four rebounds, and two steals, while making 2-of-3 three-point attempts. The four Laker freshmen combined for 46 of the team's 69 points, equaling two-thirds of GVSU's production on Saturday.

Grand Valley State begins a four-game homestand with a 6:00 p.m. contest with perennial power Michigan Tech on Thursday night (Jan. 28) in Fieldhouse Arena. The two teams sit atop the GLIAC North Division with identical 11-1 records in the GLIAC, while Michigan Tech has been ranked as one of the top five teams nationally all season.