Jan. 7, 2010

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State used a 21-2 run at the start of the second half to help secure an 82-58 victory over Saginaw Valley State in GVSU Fieldhouse Arena on Thursday night (Jan. 7). The Lakers owned a 38-30 lead at halftime and shot a blistering 69.2 percent from the field in the second half, as all 10 GVSU players scored in the game.

The victory is the Lakers' fifth straight home win and Grand Valley State improves to 8-3 overall with a 5-1 record in the GLIAC. Saginaw Valley State falls to 4-7 overall with a 2-4 league mark. It was the first of three games in a five-day span for GVSU, as it will also take on Lake Superior State and Ferris State by early next week.

GVSU jumped ahead early in the first half and led 19-9 at the 13-minute mark after a three-pointer from sophomore point guard Jasmine Padin. The hot-shooting Lakers upped the lead to as many as 15 points at the 6:46 mark, when a trifecta from sophomore guard Emma Veach put Grand Valley State ahead, 29-14. Saginaw Valley State whittled away at the Laker lead, eventually cutting the score to 29-23 after scoring nine straight points.

Another Padin three-pointer with less than a minute remaining gave GVSU a double-digit advantage, but Saginaw Valley State scored on a layup before halftime to make the score 38-30 at the intermission. In the opening half, the Lakers forced 13 Cardinal turnovers and owned a 12-4 advantage in points off of turnovers. Grand Valley State also shot a strong 50.0 percent (8-of-16) from three-point range in the first half, with Padin knocking down 4-of-9 triple tries. Both Padin and Veach scored 12 points in the first half, with three steals apiece.

Grand Valley State quickly pulled away in the opening minutes of the second half. The Lakers scored the first 10 points after halftime and put together a 21-2 run that essentially put the game out of reach. A jumper from Padin, four straight points from freshman center Alex Stelfox, and layups from juniors Elizabeth Van Tiflin and Kara Crawford extended GVSU's lead to 48-30 at the 17:35 mark.

Padin's three-pointer at the 8:31 mark put the score at 68-38, giving Grand Valley State a 30-point cushion, its biggest of the night. The Lakers would connect on two more three-pointers the rest of the game, giving GVSU a 50.0 percent clip (12-of-24) from long range. For the game, Grand Valley State shot 54.1 percent from the field and owned a 26-15 advantage in points in the paint.

Veach led all players with 19 points on 7-of-9 shooting and 3-of-3 from long distance. She added six rebounds, four assists, and three steals. Her backcourt mate, Padin, drained five three-pointers for 17 points, to go along with five assists and three steals.

Stelfox continued her strong freshman campaign, as she provided 14 points on 7-of-8 shooting. She also rejected two Cardinal shots. Freshman forward Briauna Taylor came off the bench to tally 10 points, six rebounds, three assists, two blocks, and two steals in 21 very productive minutes. Crawford led GVSU with eight rebounds, including five offensive caroms. All 10 Lakers that were dressed for the game scored and Grand Valley State owned a 20-10 edge in bench points.

GVSU will take on Lake Superior State this Saturday (Jan. 9) at 1:00 p.m. in Fieldhouse Arena.