Dec. 18, 2011
ALLENDALE, Mich. - Grand Valley State women's basketball could not find an answer for Northern Michigan's long ball as it fell 54-52 in GLIAC play at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena on Sunday afternoon. GVSU now faces the conference's top team as it takes on No. 7 Michigan Tech on Monday at 5 p.m.
With the loss, the Lakers fall to 4-5 on the season and 1-3 in conference play, while Northern evens it mark at 5-5 and 2-2 in the GLIAC.
The Wildcats went 7-for-18 (38 percent) from behind the arc, while GVSU shot just 3-for-14 (21 percent). Northern Michigan was also 11-for-13 from the charity stripe.
Two Lakers scored in double figused as junior Briauna Taylor paced the Lakers with 16 points and classmate Alex Stelfox (Bowie, Md.) added 12 points. Stelfox also had a team-high seven rebounds and five assists with two blocks. Junior Brittany Taylor had eight points on 4-for-7 from the floor, while senior Kara Crawford (Winamac, Ind.) had six points.
Grand Valley State took its final lead, 52-49, on a Briauna Taylor three-pointer with four minutes left in the game, but Northern Michigan scored five straight points and held the Lakers scoreless to win the game. The second half was similar to the first as the score tied six times, with neither teams able to take more than a four-point lead.
The first 20 minutes saw nine lead changes and nine ties as the teams traded baskets. GVSU took its biggest lead, 27-23, with less than two minutes remaining in the opening stanza on Briauna Taylor's jumper, but the Wildcats tied it back up with four consecutive free throw shots.
The Lakers looked to take a two-point lead into half time on Brittany Taylor's basket with less than a minute remaining, but a last second lay up from Brook Coenen again knotted the score at 29-29 as the teams headed into the locker room.
Grand Valley State shot an impressive 58.3 percent (14-24) from the floor, but were held to just one three-pointer in the opening 20 minutes. Northern Michigan had just nine baskets, but hit three long balls and went 8-for-9 from the line.
Hillary Bowling led all scorers with 16 points, while Annie Rubendunst chipped in 11. The Lakers held the Wildcats top scorer, Chelsea Lyons to just eight points.
On the final box, the Lakers held a 32-22 edge off the glass, a 32-18 mark in the paint and had 30 bench points to the Wildcats' 17. GVSU shot 46.9 percent from the floor (23-49), while Northern Michigan went 18-for-45 (40 percent). Northern Michigan committed just 11 turnovers, while GVSU had 16.
