Jan. 12, 2011

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - The overwhelming Grand Valley State defense held a second straight GLIAC opponent to just 38 points, as the #13 Lakers had no problem in handling Northwood by a 89-38 score on Wednesday night (Jan. 12). GVSU shot 47.1 percent from the field, made 32 free throws, and owned a huge 49-18 advantage in bench points, as the Lakers recorded their 11th straight home victory.

Grand Valley State pushed its winning streak to four games in a row and moves to 13-2 overall, while the Lakers are a perfect 8-0 in GLIAC play. Northwood falls to 5-10 on the year and the Timberwolves are 3-4 in the conference. On Dec. 9 in Midland, these two teams met and it was just a one-point game in the final minute before Grand Valley State made nine consecutive free throws and pulled out a 71-63 victory. There would be no such drama on Wednesday night.

Before Northwood could even blink, the Lakers were ahead 10-0 after a layup from junior Alvin Storrs, a pair of free throws from sophomore Breland Hogan, and back-to-back three-pointers from James Thomas and Justin Ringler. The Timberwolves were back to within seven points at 17-10 but senior K'Len Morris drained a trifecta and freshman Asauhn Tatum slammed home a pass from Ringler, upping the score to 23-10.

Ringler then scored five straight points on a jumper and a three-pointer to push the lead out to 30-12 at the 5:37 mark. Grand Valley State would keep up the intensity, which was apparent all the way until the first half buzzer. Storrs deflected the ball from Northwood's Bobby Lewis, dove on the floor to retrieve the loose ball, and after falling on it, looked up and found sophomore Tony Peters racing past him. Peters took the Storrs' pass and went in for a fast break layup with four seconds left, putting GVSU up by a 40-21 tally at halftime. That is a good sign for the Lakers, as they entered the game with a 12-0 record when leading at intermission.

Any hopes of a second-half comeback for Northwood would be quickly shot down, as Grand Valley State used an early 11-0 run to extend the lead to 28 points (51-23) at the 15:33 mark. Tatum recorded another jam on a Ringler assist, Thomas buried a triple, Ringler added four more points, and junior Nick Waddell knocked down a pair of free throws in the 11-point stretch. Thomas would score four points in 16 seconds on a pair of jumpers that upped the score to 61-26 with 10:55 remaining.

While Northwood continued to struggle from the field, GVSU kept on shooting very well, regardless of who was in the Laker lineup. A bucket from Peters at the 4:45 mark pushed Grand Valley State past the 75-point mark, giving all fans in attendance a free taco from Taco Bell and temporarily earning Peters the terrific nickname of "Taco Tony", given to him by his teammates. On Saturday against Lake Superior State, Peters also made the basket in which GVSU hit the 75-point mark.

The GVSU lead would reach as many as 51 points, which would also be the final deficit. All 11 Lakers scored in the game and 10 players registered points in the scoring column in the first half alone. Grand Valley State shot 47.1 percent from the field and made 9-of-19 three-point attempts for a 47.4 percent clip. The Lakers would not settle for outside shots though, as they went inside to the tune of 41 free throws, knocking down 32 of the freebies for a solid 78.0 percent.

Northwood shot just 20.7 percent from the field and struggled mightily from outside, making just 4-of-26 three-pointers. The Lakers recorded a season-high 47 rebounds, while NU notched just 27 boards. Grand Valley State turned the ball over just six times, marking three straight games that it has had fewer than seven turnovers. Northwood committed 11 miscues and GVSU owned a 19-5 edge in points off turnovers.

Ringler was the game's high scorer, as the senior provided 14 points on 4-of-9 shooting, as he made both three-point attempts and all four free throws. He added seven rebounds and three assists and moved past both Kent Wiersma (1,304) and J.P. Huntington (1,313) into 15th place on GVSU's career scoring list. Ringler now has 1,314 points in his four-year career.

Waddell provided 12 points in just 13 minutes, as he was 8-of-9 from the charity stripe, while junior Wes Trammell added 11 points and was a perfect 4-of-4 at the line. For the second straight game, junior Nick Carreri pulled down a game-high in rebounds, as he recorded 10 boards, tying his career-high. Carreri also added eight points and two assists.

Thomas supplied 10 points and a career-best seven boards, as he made a pair of three-pointers, while Peters totaled 10 points on 4-of-6 shooting in just 16 minutes off the Laker bench. Hogan scored eight points to go with four boards and three steals and Tatum followed his seven-block performance against Lake Superior State on Saturday with five rejections tonight, including three blocks in a 46-second span in the second half.

The Lakers head back out on the road on Saturday (Jan. 15) for a key GLIAC battle against Hillsdale. GVSU and the Chargers will meet at 1:00 p.m. in Jesse Philips Arena, as the Lakers are 4-1 on the road this season.