Feb. 11, 2010

Box Score

Marquette, Mich. - Grand Valley State earned some revenge on Thursday night (Feb. 11) at Northern Michigan, as GVSU knocked off the Wildcats in the final minute, 69-66. NMU led by as many as 14 points in the first half, but the Lakers rallied back and used Emma Veach's layup with 16 seconds left as the go-ahead bucket in a key conference and regional match-up.

Entering the game, the teams were tied for second place in the GLIAC North Division, which placed them in a tie for second overall in the conference. The victory puts GVSU at 17-5 overall with a 14-3 GLIAC record, while Northern Michigan falls to 16-6 on the year with a 13-4 league mark. In the latest Midwest Regional rankings, NMU was slotted fourth while the Lakers owned the sixth seed. On Jan. 30 in Allendale, Northern Michigan defeated GVSU 66-54 in the Lakers' largest loss of the season.

Things started well for Grand Valley State on Thursday night. Buckets from Veach, Kara Crawford, and Alex Stelfox put the Lakers ahead 6-0 just two minutes into the game. Northern Michigan rallied back to tie the game at 10-10 and continued its 19-4 run to take complete advantage of the game by a 28-14 score. For the rest of the half, the Wildcats led by double digits until sophomore Jasmine Padin drilled a three-pointer with seven seconds left in the half to cut the NMU lead to 41-31 at halftime.

GVSU shot well in the opening half with a 42.9 percent clip, but Northern Michigan felt very comfortable at home. The Wildcats made 56.5 percent of its shots, including 5-of-9 from three-point range. NMU also made 10-of-13 free throw attempts, while the Lakers did not make it to the charity stripe in the first 20 minutes.

Grand Valley State could not have started the second half any better. Stelfox sandwiched two jumpers around a layup from Crawford for the first six points of the half. Junior Elizabeth Van Tiflin then drained a trifecta and the Lakers were tied up at 41-41, as Van Tiflin's three-pointer capped GVSU's 12-0 run dating back to the first half.

Northern Michigan responded and took a 48-43 lead, which would be the biggest margin the rest of the game. GVSU answered with a three-pointer from freshman Brittany Taylor and a jumper from sophomore Kelly Kretz to knot the score at 48-48. The game would be tied five more times the rest of the way, with Veach breaking a 64-64 tie with a layup at the 1:55 mark. NMU's Mariah Dunham then tied the score at 66-66 with a pair of free throws with 42 seconds remaining.

On the ensuing possession, Veach freed herself inside the paint and scored on a layup with 16 seconds left to give the Lakers a 68-66 lead. Northern Michigan would miss a layup, gather the offensive rebound, and miss a three-pointer on its next possession. Van Tiflin would then split a pair of free throws at the line and NMU's desperation three-pointer was nowhere close, as the Lakers escaped with the huge comeback win.

It was hard to tell which played better in the second half - the GVSU offense or defense. Grand Valley State shot 51.7 percent in the final 20 minutes, but the Laker defense held NMU to 29.2 percent shooting and just 1-of-11 from three-point range. The rebounding edge went to GVSU (34-29) and the Lakers owned a 28-18 advantage in the paint, while shooting 46.9 percent from the floor.

Stelfox provided a team-high 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting. She drained her third three-pointer this season and pulled down six rebounds to go with two blocks. Briauna Taylor was the other Laker in double figures, as she totaled 11 points on 5-of-7 shooting, four rebounds, and two steals.

Veach was on the outskirts of a triple-double, as the reigning GLIAC North Division Player of the Week tallied nine rebounds, eight points, and seven assists. She shot 4-of-7 from the field and added two blocks and a steal. Kretz provided nine points on an efficient 4-of-6 from the floor, while freshman Paige Smith played very well with eight points and two rebounds in just eight minutes off the Laker bench.

Grand Valley State continues its trip through the Upper Peninsula with a 1:00 p.m. contest at #4 Michigan Tech on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 13). The Lakers and Huskies battled to double overtime in their last meeting on Jan. 28 in Allendale, with MTU pulling out the 75-71 victory.