Feb. 4, 2010

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Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State used a 22-3 run to end the first half and pull away from Findlay on Thursday night (Feb. 4), as the Lakers cruised to a 77-51 victory over the Oilers. The win snapped GVSU's brief two-game losing streak, as the Lakers received double-digit scoring from four players and owned a huge 35-14 edge in bench points over Findlay.

With the win, GVSU improves to 15-5 overall and 12-3 in the GLIAC. The Lakers had lost two games in a row after a seven-game win streak from Jan. 7 to Jan. 23. Grand Valley State is now 8-3 at home this season. Findlay, the top team in the GLIAC South Division, is also 15-5 after the loss and the Oilers are 10-5 in league play. Coupled with Grand Valley State's 70-57 win in Findlay on Dec. 12 gives the Lakers the season sweep, as head coach Janel Burgess is now 5-0 against the Oilers in her career.

The game was tied six times in the first 11 minutes of the game, with neither team taking more than a four-point lead. Findlay led 16-12 at the 11:35 mark when GVSU put together a game-changing run that would extend to halftime. Three Laker freshmen - Briauna Taylor, Alex Stelfox, and Lauren Stodola - would score on three straight possessions to put Grand Valley State ahead 18-16 with 8:48 left in the half. After a Findlay free throw, the Lakers would score the next 10 points of the half, opening up an 11-point lead.

Freshman Brittany Taylor drained a three-pointer, which was followed less than a minute later by a trifecta from sophomore Maddie Burnett. A jumper in the paint from sophomore Jasmine Padin and a layup from Briauna Taylor put the Lakers on top 28-17. The Oilers stopped the 10-0 run with a bucket of their own, but Briauna Taylor would score on two layups in 32 seconds and sophomore Emma Veach would swish a short jumper before the halftime buzzer, putting GVSU ahead 34-19 at intermission.

In the opening half, the Lakers shot 45.5 percent from the field, owned a 20-2 edge in bench points and a 24-10 advantage in points in the paint. But defensively is where Grand Valley State took control of the game. GVSU forced 13 Findlay turnovers in the first 20 minutes and forced the Oilers into 0-of-9 shooting from three-point range.

Any thoughts of a Findlay comeback would be quickly put to rest, as Veach's three-pointer with 15:55 remaining in the game would give the Lakers a 45-25 advantage. The Oilers cut the lead to 15 points midway through the half, but consecutive jumpers from Veach, Briauna Taylor, and Stelfox pushed the GVSU edge back out to 58-37 with just over 10 minutes left. Grand Valley State would lead by at least 17 points the rest of the game, pushing the score out to 27 points in the final minute on a Kelly Kretz jumper.

For the game, the Laker defense was tremendous. Grand Valley State forced 22 Findlay turnovers and held the Oilers to 2-of-16 shooting from three-point range for a 12.5 percent clip. GVSU also shot very well, connecting on 50.8 percent of its shots from the floor and seven three-pointers. The Lakers owned big edges in bench points (35-14), points in the paint (40-24), and points off turnovers (21-13).

Four GVSU players scored in double figures, led by Stelfox's 16 points on 7-of-9 shooting from the floor. She added four rebounds and made her second three-pointer of the season, all in just 20 minutes on the floor. Veach was a perfect 5-for-5 from the field, as she tallied 13 points, five assists, four rebounds, and three steals.

The Taylor sisters continued to play well off the Laker bench. Briauna Taylor totaled 12 points, a game-high eight rebounds, and added three assists, a block, and a steal. Her eight boards tied a career-high. Brittany Taylor notched 12 points, six rebounds, and made a pair of three-pointers. Padin produced eight points, four assists, and three steals for GVSU.

Grand Valley State concludes its current four-game homestand on Saturday night. The Lakers welcome Hillsdale to Fieldhouse Arena for a 6:00 p.m. contest.