Jan. 29, 2011

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Grand Rapids, Mich. - Despite trailing at halftime, #22 Grand Valley State rallied back and used a 19-5 run midway through the second half to capture a crucial GLIAC victory, defeating Ferris State 69-62 in the opening game of the 131 Showdown on Saturday night (Jan. 29). The Lakers went from down four points to up by 10 during the game-changing run and GVSU closed off its 15th win of the season. Four Lakers scored in double digits in the win at Van Andel Arena.

The victory puts Grand Valley State at 15-4 overall and 8-4 in conference play, while Ferris State falls to 9-9 on the year and 5-7 in the GLIAC. FSU led 37-33 at halftime behind 54.5 percent shooting, but the Lakers outscored Ferris State 36-25 in the second half. The GVSU defense was stingy in the second half, as the Bulldogs shot just 40.9 percent from the field and made only 1-of-9 from three-point range.

It was a tight contest throughout, as Ferris Sate led by eight points in the first half, while the Lakers' 10-point advantage was the largest of the game. FSU ended up outshooting Grand Valley State (47.7 to 44.4) and the teams were tied with 28 rebounds apiece, but the Lakers owned a 38-28 edge in points in the paint and a crucial 21-11 lead in points off turnovers. GVSU forced Ferris State into 20 turnovers, including 12 in the second half when the Lakers took over the game.

Grand Valley State never led in the first half, as FSU opened up a 16-8 advantage at the 14:10 mark and owned a few more eight-point leads in the opening 20 minutes. Sophomore Briauna Taylor scored on a layup with 10:07 remaining to make the score 22-16 and start to bring the Lakers back into the game. Her bucket was answered by a jumper from center Alex Stelfox to get the deficit down to four points at 22-18.

Junior point guard Jasmine Padin drained a long three-pointer at the 6:38 mark, bringing the score to 27-25 and less than two minutes later, Brittany Taylor converted a layup on a feed from her sister Briauna to tie the score at 27-27. Ferris State would score seven of the next 11 points and then close the half with a 37-33 advantage. The Bulldogs made 5-of-10 three-pointers in the opening 20 minutes to offset GVSU's 22-12 edge in points in the paint.

FSU was up by six (41-35) at the 17:39 mark of the second half, but freshman Tori Klewicki-McNutt swished a three-pointer to cut the deficit to just three points, but neither team would score again for the next three minutes. At that point, Stelfox converted a layup, followed by a jumper giving GVSU its first lead of the game, and Klewicki-McNutt nailed another trifecta to put the Lakers ahead 45-41.

The Bulldogs bounced back and scored eight straight points to move up by a 49-45 count, which is when Grand Valley State made its push. After a triple from Padin and single free throws from sophomore Lauren Stodola and Brittany Taylor brought GVSU to 51-50, the Lakers took the lead for good on consecutive jumpers from Stelfox within a 29-second span. Grand Valley State led 54-51 at that point and Stodola's layup put GVSU up 56-51.

Brittany Taylor then notched three points on a free throw and a layup and the Laker lead was eight points at 59-51 with 6:11 left. A layup from Briauna Taylor made the score 64-54, giving GVSU its biggest lead of the night, but Ferris State would not go away. The Bulldogs used an 8-1 run to make the score 65-62 with just over two minutes remaining. However, Grand Valley State closed out the ballgame with pairs of free throws from Stodola and Padin to seal the victory for the Lakers.

Four GVSU players reached double digits, led by 16 points from Brittany Taylor, who made 6-of-9 field goal attempts and added five rebounds. Stelfox tallied 15 points, eight rebounds, and a pair of blocks, while shooting 6-of-13 from the field. Stodola made 4-of-5 field goals and 6-of-8 free throws for 14 points, while adding a career-high five steals and two assists.

The fourth Laker in double figures was Padin, who totaled 10 points, a game-high eight assists, and four steals. Briauna Taylor supplied eight points, six rebounds, and four assists, while Klewicki-McNutt tallied six points on a pair of triples.

Ferris State was led by 14 points from Tiara Adams, who made 6-of-8 field goals. Tricia Principe added 11 points and Sarah DeShone scored 10 points. Point guard Becci Houdek totaled nine points, seven assists, five blocks, and three rebounds.

Grand Valley State opens a four-game road stretch with an 8:00 p.m. game at Saginaw Valley State next Thursday (Feb. 3). The Lakers are 6-1 on the road this season and 3-1 in conference games away from Allendale.