Jan. 15, 2011

Box Score

Hillsdale, Mich. - Grand Valley State battled against a tough conference opponent on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 15), but the #13 Lakers eventually fell to #4 Hillsdale by a 68-60 final in Jesse Philips Arena in Hillsdale. GVSU never led on Saturday against the Chargers, but stayed within striking distance the entire game before Hillsdale pulled away in the final minutes, giving the Lakers their first GLIAC loss of the year. The battle of top-15 teams was a good one, as the two squads are now a combined 16-2 in conference play.

The Lakers were riding a strong wave of momentum into Saturday's contest, having won all three GLIAC games in 2011 and by an average of 37.0 points per game. Hillsdale entered the game with some lingering frustration after falling to Wayne State on Thursday night for its first loss of the season. GVSU falls to 13-3 on the year and 8-1 in conference play, while the Chargers improve to 14-1 overall and also boast an 8-1 league record.

An initial glance at the final stats does not denote a major reason why Hillsdale was victorious in the game, although a 20-9 edge in points off turnovers is a likely factor. The Chargers forced 12 GVSU turnovers, while committing just seven turnovers in the game. Grand Valley State owned a 31-16 edge in bench points, continuing the year-long theme of its deep and successful bench play. Both teams shot relatively well with the Lakers connecting on 43.8 percent of their field goals and Hillsdale making 44.7 percent of its attempts.

After trailing 7-3 to start the game, senior Justin Ringler scored four points on two free throws and a layup and junior Nick Waddell knocked down a jumper, tying the game at 9-9. That would be the last time the score would be tied, as GVSU would not hold a lead in the ballgame. A layup from sophomore Tony Peters kept the game tight at 14-13 with 11:07 left in the opening half, but Hillsdale would eventually pull out to a 23-16 advantage at the 4:38 mark.

The Lakers cut that lead down to three points after consecutive buckets from junior Alvin Storrs and senior K'Len Morris before HC took a 26-20 lead minutes before halftime. A jumper from junior Wes Trammell and two Morris free throws made the score 26-24 with less than a minute to play. Hillsdale, however, took the momentum into halftime with a three-pointer from Tyler Gerber with just 13 seconds left in the half, giving the Chargers a 29-24 lead at the intermission.

GVSU would get close to tying the score or taking the lead several times in the second half, but could never get over the hump. The Lakers struck first in the second half with a three-pointer from Storrs, but continued to trade buckets with Hillsdale, never putting together a large scoring run against the home team. Trammell's three-pointer at the 14:06 mark brought Grand Valley State to within a deuce at 37-35. Waddell made his own three-point play on a layup and a free throw, putting the score at 40-38 with 13:15 remaining. That is as close as GVSU would get the rest of the game, as the Chargers would open up the score with a 9-2 run over the next four minutes.

Hillsdale just was too strong down the stretch, only allowing the Lakers to get within four points in the final minutes, as the Chargers used efficient shooting (50.0 percent) and made free throws (16-of-18) in the second half to finish off the ballgame. For the game, Hillsdale was 19-of-22 at the line, while Grand Valley State shot 13-of-17. Neither team shot well from downtown, as the Chargers made 7-of-21 three-point attempts (33.3 percent) and GVSU connected on 5-of-20 triple tries for a 25.0 percent clip.

Three Lakers reached double digits, as Storrs was GVSU's leader in both points and rebounds. Storrs was 4-of-7 from the field, made a pair of three's, and scored 13 points to go with six rebounds. He tied Waddell for the team-high in points, as Waddell added 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting from the floor. Sophomore Breland Hogan was a perfect 4-of-4 from the field (making both three-point attempts) and scored 10 points in 26 minutes. Trammell shot 3-of-5 from the field and totaled seven points and three boards in 16 minutes off the Laker bench. Ringler provided six points, five boards, and four assists.

Hillsdale forward Brent Eaton led the Chargers with 21 points on 7-of-10 shooting, while Brad Guinane totaled 15 points and seven boards. Gerber scored 14 points and drained three triples in giving the Chargers three double-figure scorers.

GVSU returns home to Allendale (where it is 9-0 on the year and has won 11 straight games dating back to last season) for a pair of games next weekend. The Lakers host Northern Michigan next Thursday night (Jan. 20) in a 6:00 p.m. battle against the Wildcats.