Dec. 18, 2010

Box Score

Marquette, Mich. - In a game that #9 Grand Valley State looked to be in control of for most of the second half on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 18) in Marquette, Mich., the Lakers faced some adversity and knocked down key free throws late in their 65-59 win over Northern Michigan. GVSU trailed by a point with five minutes left, but made 11-of-12 free throws in the final 3:21 to stay undefeated at 9-0 on the season.

The Lakers had not played a game this close since the season opener at Urbana, which Grand Valley State won by a 73-67 score. GVSU held on for a strong win over the Wildcats, improving to 9-0 on the year and 4-0 in the GLIAC. Grand Valley State is also 4-0 on the road this season, winning its last three games at Northwood, Lewis, and Northern Michigan. The Wildcats fall to 5-4 overall and 0-2 in league play. GVSU's 9-0 record is the team's best start since the 2002-03 team began the year with a 14-0 mark.

An early 8-3 lead by NMU would be its biggest advantage of the day, as the Lakers quickly tied the score at 8-8 after a jumper from sophomore Alex Stelfox and a three-pointer from classmate Lauren Stodola. Northern Michigan would hold a 16-14 lead with 11:17 remaining, but three straight buckets from GVSU would put the advantage in the Lakers' favor for a good portion of the game. Freshman Tori Klewicki-McNutt knocked down a three-pointer, which was followed by shots from Stelfox and sophomore Briauna Taylor, giving GVSU a 21-16 lead.

A layup from Stelfox, assisted by junior Jasmine Padin, made the score 29-20 nearing the intermission and the Lakers would take a 29-22 lead to halftime. Grand Valley State shot 52.2 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes, but made just 3-of-10 three-point attempts. However, the Lakers owned the halftime lead because they held NMU to 35.7 percent shooting, which featured 0-of-5 from three-point range.

A jumper from Stelfox just three seconds into the second half put GVSU back up by nine points at 31-22 before Northern Michigan scored six straight points and cut the deficit to 31-28. A few minutes later, Stodola and Padin drained back-to-back three-pointers, putting the score at 40-31 with just under 15 minutes left. After another Padin trifecta at the 8:30 mark put the Lakers up 51-42, Grand Valley State looked as if it was in complete control.

NMU, however, would score 10 straight points over the next 3:22 and take a 52-51 lead with 5:08 to play in the game. The Lakers would regain the advantage on a pair of free throws from Stelfox at the 3:21 mark and not trail again in the game. Senior Elizabeth Van Tiflin knocked down a pair of free throws, pushing the lead to 55-52 with 2:38 to play. A layup by the Wildcats was answered just 22 seconds later on Padin's third triple of the day, giving GVSU a 58-54 advantage.

Northern Michigan stayed close, but Taylor knocked down a pair of freebies and freshman Dani Crandall split two free throws to make the score 61-59 with 35 seconds left. A Wildcat turnover resulted in a pair of free throws from Stelfox and after an NMU missed shot, Taylor rebounded the ball, was fouled, and buried two more freebies, culminating in a 65-59 victory.

For the game, Grand Valley State (41.2 percent) was outshot by NMU (41.7 percent) from the field, but the Lakers were 9-of-22 from three-point range, while Northern Michigan was just 3-of-19 from downtown. GVSU also made more free throws (14-of-18) than the Wildcats even attempted (6-of-9).

Stelfox was the Lakers' top scorer, notching 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting, while pulling down five rebounds. A pleasant surprise to the scoring column was Van Tiflin, who pulled down a game-high eight rebounds. Entering the game with just 19 points all year, Van Tiflin scored a season-best 13 points on 4-of-8 from the field. She entered the game with three made three-pointers and equaled that feat on Saturday, going 3-of-6 from downtown. Van Tiflin leads the Lakers with 8.6 rebounds per game.

Padin was a point and an assist short of a double-double, as she scored nine points and dished out nine assists. Her best figure though was the zero turnovers in 35 minutes on the court. It is the second time in the last six games that Padin has not turned the ball over. On the season, she has 56 assists and only 20 turnovers. Taylor added eight points and seven rebounds, while Stodola recorded six points, three rebounds, two assists, a steal, and a block.

The Lakers continue their road swing with a 3:00 p.m. battle at #12 Michigan Tech on Sunday afternoon (Dec. 19) in Houghton, Mich. It is a meeting of two of the three undefeated teams in GLIAC play, as GVSU (9-0 overall) and the Huskies (7-1) are both 4-0 in the conference this season.