Jan. 9, 2010

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Allendale, Mich. - Leading by two points at halftime, Grand Valley State kicked it into high gear in the second half, outscoring Lake Superior State 40-18 in the final 20 minutes on its way to a 73-49 victory on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 9). GVSU shot 60.0 percent in the second half and made 8-of-12 three-pointers after intermission to win its sixth straight home game.

The win puts Grand Valley State at 9-3 overall with a 6-1 record in league play. GVSU improves to 6-1 at home, losing the home opener in overtime to Drury and not losing again since that game. Lake Superior State falls to 7-5 overall with a 4-4 record in the GLIAC. It was the second of three games in five days for GVSU, who defeated Saginaw Valley State on Thursday night and faces Ferris State on Monday (Jan. 11).

Lake Superior State led for a good portion of the first half before Grand Valley State tied the score on a jumper from sophomore Kelly Kretz and then used a pair of free throws from sophomore point guard Jasmine Padin to push ahead, 23-21, at the 7:23 mark. It was GVSU's first lead in nearly 10 minutes, but Grand Valley State would not trail again in the game. GVSU then lead by as mansy as six points after a Padin three-pointer, but LSSU closed the gap to 33-31 at the half with four straight points to close out the opening frame.

The teams were fairly even in the first half, as Grand Valley State shot 41.4 percent from the field and LSSU connected on 40.7 percent of its shots. GVSU owned an 18-16 rebounding advantage and both teams turned the ball over seven times. It was in the second half that Grand Valley State quickly pulled away.

A three-pointer from freshman forward Briauna Taylor put GVSU on top by a dozen points at 46-34 with more than 13 minutes to play. The three-point barrage continued as Taylor added another triple minutes later, which was answered by freshman guard Lauren Stodola and sophomore Emma Veach in the next few minutes.

Leading 57-43, Grand Valley State put the game out of reach with a 13-0 run. Freshman center Alex Stelfox scored on a jumper, Taylor drained another three-pointer, and Padin drilled a trifecta. Kretz followed with a three-pointer of her own and a pair of free throws to put GVSU on top, 70-43.

After making a dozen three-pointers on Thursday night in the win over Saginaw Valley State, GVSU connected on 11-of-20 triple tries for a strong 55.0 percentage. For the game, Grand Valley State shot 50.0 from the field and made all eight free throw attempts. GVSU's bench outscored Lake Superior State's reserves, 33-7, and owned a 24-14 edge in poitns in the paint. Over the last two games, Grand Valley State has outscored its opponents by 38 points in the second half.

Taylor led all players with a game-high and career-high 16 points on 6-of-7 shooting. She made all four three-point attempts, pushing her season totals to 12-of-19 from long distance. Taylor did all her work in just 17 minutes on the floor. Stelfox recorded her first career double-double, notching 12 points and a career-high 10 rebounds, to go along with three blocked shots. She was 6-of-10 from the floor and added two assists and a steal.

The backcourt again was strong, as Padin and Veach each tallied 13 points. Veach added six rebounds, five assists, two blocks, and two steals in 32 minutes, while Padin made three triples and totaled four assists and a pair of steals. Kretz produced nine points, four rebounds, and a career-high four assists.

Grand Valley State is back in action on Monday night (Jan. 11) against West Michigan rival Ferris State. The game will tip off at 6:00 p.m.