Nov. 20, 2010

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Allendale, Mich. - In a complete team performance on Saturday night (Nov. 20) in Grand Valley State's home opener, the #23 Lakers ran past Saint Joseph's (Ind.) by a 90-56 final. GVSU had five players score in double-digits and the team made 12-of-23 three-point attempts, while owning a 49-29 rebounding advantage. It was the first time Grand Valley State scored 90 points since Jan. 27, 2007.

The Lakers moved to 2-0 on the young season with a very strong statistical performance. GVSU shot 47.4 percent from the floor and made 52.2 percent (12-of-23) of its attempts from beyond the arc. Grand Valley State forced Saint Joseph's (2-2) into 22 turnovers, which resulted in the Laker defense garnering 14 steals and five blocks. As a team, GVSU dished out 22 assists and used 18 offensive rebounds in building an 18-2 advantage in second chance points.

Grand Valley State also held big edges in points in the paint (48-16), points off of turnovers (29-5), and fast break points (12-2). The last time GVSU tallied at least 90 points was in a 94-61 victory over Ashland on Jan. 27, 2007 in Allendale.

Early in the first half, the Lakers held a 10-6 lead over the Pumas before running off a 15-0 lead that blew the game wide open. Sophomore Brittany Taylor scored on a layup and then drained a jumper, which was quickly followed by a three-pointer from classmate Lauren Stodola. After a layup from freshman Tori Klewicki-McNutt, both Brittany and Briauna Taylor hit three-pointers in a 24-second span, pushing the GVSU advantage out to 25-6 nearing the 10-minute mark.

After a Saint Joseph's triple, the Lakers scored the game's next 10 points on five layups in a row: two from Briauna Taylor, a pair from sophomore Alex Stelfox, and the final one from senior Elizabeth Van Tiflin made the score 35-9 with 6:34 remaining. The Pumas responded with a 10-2 run that slightly closed the gap, but GVSU would maintain that lead throughout the rest of the half and lead 48-30 at the intermission.

SJC cut the score down to 51-38 at the 17:20 mark of the second half, but the Lakers would regain control with a 23-5 run that would turn the scoreboard in GVSU's favor at 74-43 with over 11 minutes remaining. Stodola made four free throws in 21 seconds and Brittany Taylor added an old-fashioned three-point play (assisted by her sister, Briauna), while Briauna's following layup gave the Lakers a 31-point cushion. Stodola then scored on two layups, a jumper, and a three-pointer, while freshman Dani Crandall made a jumper and scored on a layup late in the game, giving GVSU 90 points for the first time in nearly four years.

Briauna Taylor led all players with game-highs of 20 points and seven rebounds. She shot 8-of-14 from the floor, made 3-of-4 three pointers, and added an assist and a steal. Stodola tallied a career-high 16 points on 5-of-9 shooting with a new career-high of six rebounds and two assists. Brittany Taylor scored 12 points with four rebounds, while Stelfox added 12 points, seven rebounds, and a career-high four blocked shots.

Crandall scored in double figures for the second straight game, as she provided 11 points, six rebounds, two assists, and two steals. Despite not scoring in double-figures, junior point guard Jasmine Padin may have had the best statistical night of any player. Padin totaled nine points, tied a career-high with nine assists, added five rebounds, and set a new career-high with seven steals. Klewicki-McNutt supplied eight points, three rebounds, two assists, and a pair of three-pointers in 21 productive minutes off the bench.

The Lakers return to the court on Tuesday night (Nov. 23) with an 8:00 p.m. contest against Rochester in GVSU Fieldhouse Arena.