Dec. 18, 2010

Box Score

Marquette, Mich. - In what turned out to be a low-scoring GLIAC contest on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 18) in Marquette, Mich., #11 Grand Valley State pulled out its fifth straight victory, defeating Northern Michigan by a 61-52 count. It was the fewest points scored by the Lakers this season, but GVSU had four players tally double-digits in points, as the team moves to 8-1 on the year.

Grand Valley State's lowest point total before Saturday was in its only loss of the season - an 81-65 setback on Northern Kentucky on Nov. 27. The Lakers, however, have not loss since then, rattling off five straight victories and pushing their overall record to 8-1 and their GLIAC mark to a perfect 4-0. Northern Michigan falls to 5-4 on the year and the Wildcats are 0-2 in league play.

The game could be termed a defensive struggle, but offensively is where both teams struggled in the first half. The score was tied at 6-6 with 15:36 left in the opening half and neither team would score again until junior Wes Trammell drained a three-pointer with 9:43 remaining, ending the nearly six-minute scoreless streak for both squads. Trammell then continued his scoring surge, converting an old-fashioned three-point play by making a layup and the ensuing free throw to put the Lakers ahead, 12-6, at the 9:20 mark.

Leading 16-11, Laker senior K'Len Morris drained a triple and a minute later converted a layup for five straight GVSU points and a 21-11 advantage nearing the five-minute mark. NMU, however, battled back and cut the deficit to 23-20 before freshman Asauhn Tatum finished the half with a layup that put the halftime score at 25-20 in the Lakers' favor. Grand Valley State shot 32.4 percent in the first half and made just 2-of-11 three-pointers (18.2 percent), but the Wildcats shot just 31.8 percent from the field and were 1-of-13 (7.7 percent) from long distance.

GVSU started to heat up early in the second half and with the game close at 25-22, the Lakers relied on the long ball to build its advantage. Senior Justin Ringler drained a pair of three-pointers (both assisted by Trammell) in a 42-second span, which Trammell then followed with a trifecta of his own only 26 seconds after Ringler's buckets. The Lakers had put together a quick 9-0 run in just 1:08 and pushed out to a 34-22 lead.

Morris would find Tatum for a layup at the 12:33 mark, giving Grand Valley State at 46-33 advantage, its biggest cushion of the night. Northern Michigan would score 10 of the next 13 points and get to within six points before Morris quickly answered with a three-point of his own to bring the Laker lead back to nine points at 52-43. With GVSU leading 55-47 with just under six minutes left, Tatum would bury a pair of free throws and sophomore Nick Carreri would knock down a jumper to make the score 59-47 and put the game out of reach. Northern Michigan would not get any closer than nine points the rest of the way and the Lakers had won their eighth game of the year.

In the second half, GVSU shot 54.5 percent from both the field (12-of-22) and three-point range (6-of-11), while holding the Wildcats to 3-of-10 from downtown. For the game, the Lakers shot 41.1 percent and connected on eight three-pointers, while Northern Michigan shot just 37.2 percent and made 4-of-23 triple tries. Grand Valley State forced 16 NMU turnovers and held a solid 17-9 edge in points off those miscues. GVSU also held advantages in points in the paint (24-16) and bench points (17-10).

Ringler led the way offensively, pouring in 13 of his 15 points in the second half, as he was 5-of-9 from the field. He added three assists and a pair of three-pointers. Morris totaled a season-high 13 points on 5-of-8 shooting, as the sharpshooter knocked down 3-of-4 three-point attempts. In 27 minutes off the bench, he tied the team-high in rebounds (five) and assists (three) while not committing a turnover. The five rebounds for Morris are a career-high.

Tatum and Trammell each supplied 11 points apiece, as Tatum was 4-of-6 from the floor and recorded five boards, while Trammell was 4-of-8 from the field and recorded a season-best four boards and three assists. Tatum's 11 points are a new career-high for the rookie. The Lakers totaled nine steals, with Carreri, Alvin Storrs, and James Thomas each tallying a pair of thefts.

Grand Valley State continues its five-game road stretch on Sunday (Dec. 19), as the Lakers continue north to face Michigan Tech in a 1:00 p.m. contest in Houghton, Mich. GVSU is 2-1 on the year away from home and have won its past two road games.