Feb. 25, 2010

Box Score |  Photo Gallery 

Allendale, Mich. - Wayne State knocked off Grand Valley State by a 70-56 score on Thursday night (Feb. 25) in a slugfest of a game that saw 66 free throw attempts, 53 fouls, and 34 turnovers. It was the first win for Wayne State in Allendale since Jan. 13, 2005, as the Warriors connected on 26-of-37 free throw attempts in the win.

The loss puts GVSU at 19-7 on the year with a 15-6 record in the GLIAC, while Wayne State improves to 13-12 overall and 11-10 in conference play. Grand Valley State had won nine of its past 10 home games and were coming off two big road victories at Lake Superior State and Saginaw Valley State. Coming into the game, GVSU was ranked third in the latest Midwest Regional rankings, released on Wednesday.

Grand Valley State got out of the gate quickly, leading 11-2 at the 12:39 mark in the opening half. Sophomore center Nick West tallied five points in the opening run, including a dunk, a tip-in, and a free throw. Junior Justin Ringler, honored before the game as the 31st Laker to score 1,000 points in his career, made a pair of free throws and a layup from junior Toreau Brown put the Lakers ahead by nine points.

Wayne State then went on an 18-2 spurt to take a 20-13 lead with 7:40 remaining in the game, as GVSU could only score on an Alvin Storrs jumper. The Lakers got back within 23-19 with a jumper from freshman Breland Hogan, but Wayne State went to halftime with a 33-23 lead. WSU closed out the first half on a 31-12 run after trailing 11-2.

In the first half, Grand Valley State shot 36.4 percent from the field and made 7-of-10 free throws, while Wayne State connected on 43.5 percent of its shots and 10-of-13 attempts from the charity stripe. The Lakers committed 12 first half turnovers, as WSU owned an 18-7 edge in points of turnovers.

To start the second half, GVSU cut the lead to 33-26, but the Warriors quickly pushed the advantage out to a 52-32 score with a 19-6 run that blew the game wide open. Wayne State would lead by as many as 23 points and the Lakers would only get within 14 points at the end of the game on a three-point play from freshman Tony Peters.

For the game, Grand Valley State shot 40.9 percent and connected on 20-of-29 free throws. The Lakers did not make a three-pointer for the fourth time this season, but it was the first game GVSU had lost without draining a trifecta. Wayne State shot 44.4 percent from the floor and made 26-of-37 free throw attempts. WSU owned leads in points off turnovers (27-11), fast break points (14-2), and bench points (15-8), while GVSU had advantages in points in the paint (32-26) and second chance points (8-2).

Storrs and junior Mike Przydzial led the Lakers with 13 points each, as Storrs made 5-of-7 shots to go along with three rebounds, a block, and a steal. Przydzial was 4-of-6 from the field and a perfect 5-of-5 at the line, as he added three rebounds, and two blocks. Ringler totaled eight points, a game-high nine rebounds, and two steals.

Grand Valley State returns to action in the GLIAC regular season finale on Saturday night (Feb. 27) at 8:00 p.m. against Northwood. The Lakers won in Midland on Jan. 21 over the Timberwolves, 64-55.