Feb. 19, 2011

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - In what looked like it would be a battle of two of the top three offenses in the GLIAC, Wayne State outslugged Grand Valley State 59-52 on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 19) in Fieldhouse Arena. It was the first home loss for GVSU in its last 15 games, as Wayne State owned a 22-11 advantage at the free throw line over the Lakers. The 52 points was Grand Valley State's lowest game total this season.

Coming off a huge 72-66 victory over #3 Findlay on Thursday night, GVSU could never get over the hump against the Warriors on Saturday. The Lakers never held a lead against Wayne State, marking the second time that has happened in the last four contests. WSU moves to 18-6 on the year and 13-4 in the GLIAC, while Grand Valley State falls to 18-7 overall and 13-5 in league play. Entering the game, Wayne State ranked third in the GLIAC South Division and sixth in the latest Midwest Regional rankings, while GVSU was second in the North Division and 10th in the regional poll. The Lakers had not lost since Feb. 25, 2010, when Wayne State defeated GVSU in Fieldhouse Arena by a 70-56 score. Saturday's win for the Warriors snapped Grand Valley State's 14-game home win streak.

The first half was completely unexpected for both teams, as Wayne State entered the contest averaging 77.7 points per game, second most in the GLIAC, while the Lakers' 76.4 points per contest was the third-highest figure in the league. But the opening 20 minutes displayed very little offense and focused more on defense. Wayne State scored the game's first six points and built a 9-2 lead in the first 5:23. After senior Justin Ringler split two free throws and converted a lyaup, the Lakers were down 11-7 at the 13:06 mark.

Wayne State opened up a 15-7 cushion nearing the midway point of the half and held a 17-9 lead with 6:39 remaining. On GVSU's next possession, point guard Breland Hogan drained a three-pointer and a minute later, sophomore Tony Peters converted an old fashioned three-point play with a fastbreak layup and free throw. That made the score 17-15 wih 5:28 to play, but both offenses stalled for much of the rest of the half. Wayne State led at intermission by a 21-17 score. The 17 points were the fewest Grand Valley State had scored in a half this season.

Neither team shot well in the opening half. GVSU was 7-of-21 from the field for a 33.3 percentage, which was actually better than Wayne State's 31.6 percentage (6-of-19). The Lakers turned the ball over 11 times in the first 20 minutes, with Wayne State scoring 12 points off those miscues.

After WSU started the second half with a three-pointer, Ringler and Hogan each scored on buckets to cut the deficit down to three points. A three-point deficit is as close as Grand Valley State could get in the second half, though, as the Lakers could never pull back to within even. With the score at 26-23 after a pair of Jovonne Augustus free throws, Wayne State answered with five straight points, pushingthe lead back to 31-23.

The Lakers fought back to 39-36 with a jumper in the paint from junior Wes Trammell and a jumpshot from James Thomas with 10:15 remaining. Again, both offenses struggled until Wayne State regained an eight-point cushion (46-38) at the 5:47 mark. GVSU would cut the score to 48-43 after a Ringler free throw with 2:59 remaining, but five points is as close as the Lakers could get the rest of the game. Wayne State would finish out the game with free throws, which is where the tide turned towards in the Warriors' favor. For the game, WSU made 22-of-31 freebies for a 71.0 percentage, while Grand Valley State made just 11-of-19 for a 57.9 figure.

Both teams were similar in shooting from other areas on the floor. Wayne State made 43.6 percent of its field goals and 3-of-11 three-pointers. The Lakers connected on 43.2 percent from the floor and 3-of-10 triple tries. GVSU owned the glass with a 32-25 rebounding edge and led in bench scoring, 20-7. Wayne State, however, forced the Lakers into a season-high 19 turnovers and tallied a 25-9 edge in points off turnovers.

Ringler was the lone GVSU player in double figures, as he tallied team-highs in points (16), rebounds (six), and assists (three). He was 6-of-10 from the field and was honored in a pregame ceremony, along with Josh Roberson and K'Len Morris, for the team's Senior Day. Hogan added nine points on 4-of-7 shooting and recorded two steals. Trammell supplied eight points off the bench, while Peters recorded five boards and four points. Freshman Asauhn Tatum rejected a game-high three blocked shots.

Wayne State was led by Bryan Smothers, who totaled 16 points, five assists, four rebounds, and four steals. He made 8-of-12 free throw attempts. Forward Jerry Oden and guard Mike Hollingsworth each totaled 14 points for the Warriors.

GVSU closes out its regular season on the road, as the Lakers travel to Big Rapids next Saturday (Feb. 26) for a 1:00 p.m. game against West Michigan rival, Ferris State. FSU defeated Grand Valley State by a 79-72 score in overtime at the 131 Showdown on Jan. 29 at the Van Andel Arena.