Nov. 27, 2010

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - In a battle of top-20 teams on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 27), #16 Grand Valley State led for the entire game and upended #20 Wisconsin-Parkside by a 64-50 score in a key regional contest. The Lakers moved to 4-0 on the year and held a double-digit advantage for nearly the entire second half in getting an impressive victory over the Rangers. Three GVSU players scored in double-figures and the Lakers held Wisconsin-Parkside to just 36.2 percent shooting from the field.

Grand Valley State (4-0) put together a strong game against its toughest opponent of the season thus far, as Wisconsin-Parkside (3-1) entered the WBCA Top-25 after winning its first three games. The Lakers took care of the ball by committing just nine turnovers and forced 18 Ranger miscues, giving GVSU a 17-8 edge in points off turnovers. Another key was the Laker defense, which allowed just 17-of-47 shooting in the game, while Wisconsin-Parkside attempted just 18 shots in the second half, making only eight buckets. For the game, UWP was just 1-of-8 from three-point range.

The Lakers raced out to a 13-3 lead before the first media timeout, as sophomores Briauna Taylor and Alex Stelfox scored on back-to-back buckets in the first 40 seconds. Junior Jasmine Padin drained a three-pointer, Stelfox connected on another jumper, and Taylor made a pair of free throws. Stelfox followed with a layup to push out to a 10-point advantage in the first four minutes. GVSU would extend its lead to 12 points at the 12:29 mark on a layup from Brittany Taylor, giving the Lakers a 17-5 lead.

Wisconsin-Parkside would stay within striking distance and close the deficit to five points at 17-12 and 23-18 with 6:06 left in the half. Grand Valley State would answer back with seven straight points on a layup from Tori Klewicki-McNutt and five straight points (a jumper and a three-pointer) from Briauna Taylor to up the lead to 30-18 with 3:34 remaining. GVSU would go to halftime with a 30-22 advantage, as the Rangers scored the final four points of the half.

GVSU would lead 40-32 midway through the second half before putting together a 12-2 run that would open up the game for the home team. Briauna Taylor drained a three-pointer, followed by a jumper by her sister Brittany Taylor to start the surge. After a pair of free throws from Wisconsin-Parkside, Stelfox scored on consecutive jumpers and Padin's three-pointer capped the 12-2 run and put the Lakers ahead by a 52-34 score with 7:57 remaining.

A jumper from freshman Dani Crandall with 4:56 left in the game put Grand Valley State ahead 60-41, with the 19-point advantage being its biggest lead of the game. The teams would trade free throws for the final few minutes and GVSU would finish out the game with a 14-point victory. GVSU shot 42.9 percent from the floor, but struggled from long distance, making just 4-of-14 three-point attempts. Wisconsin-Parkside won the rebounding battle (39-33), but the turning point was the turnovers. Grand Valley State also held a nice advantage on the inside, putting forth a 32-22 edge in points in the paint, while the Lakers also scored the game's only eight fast break points. Each team had 16 second chance points, while GVSU held a slim 14-11 advantage in bench points.

Leading the way for the Lakers was Briauna Taylor, who recorded her second career double-double and first of this season. The sophomore forward scored 20 points and tied a career-high with 10 rebounds, four coming on the offensive end. Stelfox shot the ball very well, going 8-of-11 from the field and totaling 16 points and rejecting two shots. Padin joined the double-digit party with 10 points on 4-of-8 shooting, as she made both of her three-point attempts. The junior point guard's biggest contribution to the game, however, was her six assists to zero turnovers. Brittany Taylor added eight points on 4-of-7 shooting and pulled down six rebounds, while senior Elizabeth Van Tiflin notched seven rebounds.

The Lakers continue their five-game homestand with a home contest against Ohio Dominican on Thursday (Dec. 2) at 8:00 p.m. in Fieldhouse Arena. It will be the GLIAC opener for GVSU, as the team is 4-0 already in non-conference games.