Nov. 23, 2010

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Allendale, Mich. - In a rematch of the epic 2010 Midwest Region semifinal game back in March, #4 Grand Valley State exacted a bit of revenge with a convincing 92-74 victory on Tuesday night (Nov. 23) over visiting Saint Joseph's. The Lakers led 48-32 at halftime and by 30 points in the second half, while six GVSU players reached double-digits in the scoring column. Grand valley State shot 52.1 percent from the field in winning its third straight game to start the season.

The last time these two teams met was six months ago in the semifinals of the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament. Saint Joseph's (1-3) used a three-pointer at the second-half buzzer to send the game into overtime, where the Pumas scored on a layup with 1.3 seconds left to defeat GVSU (3-0) by a 78-76 score. On Tuesday night, the stakes weren't nearly as high as the teams' last meeting, but Grand Valley State definitely played like it after an early wake-up call.

Saint Joseph's scored eight of the first nine points and took an 8-1 lead less than two minutes into the game. The Pumas extended their lead to 15-8 at the 14:16 mark before GVSU creeped back into the game. A jumper from Asauhn Tatum was followed by one from sophomore Tony Peters and just moments later, senior K'Len Morris threw down a dunk on the fast break to cut the deficit to 15-14. Four free throws and a fastbreak layup from Peters just minutes later gave GVSU an 18-17 lead it would not relinquish.

Morris drained back-to-back three-pointers in a 41-second span in his first game of the season and when he scored on a jumper at the 8:07 mark, he had made his first four shots and the Lakers led 29-19. A jumper from sophomore Breland Hogan with 5:12 remaining made the score 36-22 and GVSU extended the advantage minutes later with a three-pointer from junior James Thomas. At that point, Grand Valley State had built an 18-point lead (47-29), its biggest edge of the first half.

GVSU would take a 48-32 advantage into halftime on tremendous shooting from all areas. The Lakers made 60.0 percent (15-25) of their field goals, 4-of-6 three-pointers, and 14-of-16 free throw attempts. The two-headed combination of Peters and Morris combined to shoot 7-of-7 from the field (Morris was 4-for-4, Peters went 3-for-3), making all three attempts from beyond the arc (Morris with two triples), and all four free throws (coming from Peters). Grand Valley State owned a terrific 30-4 edge in bench points in the opening half.

The second half became a glorified free throw contest with the teams combining for 35 fouls and 52 attempts from the charity stripe. However, before that the Lakers used a 12-0 run to push out to a 62-36 advantage. GVSU scored on a layup from senior Justin Ringler, a three-pointer from guard Alvin Storrs, and a layup and three free throws from junior Nick Waddell. Less than a minute later, Thomas knocked down another three-pointer and Ringler scored on a layup for a 67-37 lead, the biggest advantage of the game.

Saint Joseph's would get back into the game with fouls and free throws, getting to within 15 points at 83-68 at the 2:39 mark. But the Lakers would knock down enough free throws (20-of-31 in the second half) to keep the Pumas far enough away. For the game, Grand Valley State was 34-of-47 from the line for 72.3 percent, while the Lakers connected on 52.1 percent of its field goal attempts. GVSU again shot well from beyond the arc, nailing 8-of-18 three-pointers for a 44.4 percentage.

Another deciding factor was the Lakers' bench play. Grand Valley State owned a 46-15 advantage in bench points and a 27-16 edge in points off turnovers, as it forced 17 Puma miscues. The Lakers recorded a 36-29 advantage in the rebounding column.

Leading the six GVSU players in double-digits was Ringler, who scored 14 points to go along with a game-high eight rebounds. Thomas totaled 13 points in 25 minutes of action, while Wadell put up 12 points and seven rebounds and made all eight free throw attempts.

Peters scored 11 points in just 15 minutes off the bench and Morris added 10 points, four assists, and three steals in 22 minutes. Junior Wes Trammell added 10 points and three assists, while Storrs produced eight points and a team-best three steals.

GVSU heads to Northern Kentucky on Saturday (Nov. 27) for a key regional match-up and the team's first road game of the season. The Lakers will take on the Norse at 12:00 p.m. in Highland Heights, Ky.