Feb. 5, 2011

Box Score

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. - Saturday's matchup (Feb. 5) between #22 Grand Valley State and Lake Superior State in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. was not only a pivotal matchup in the league standings and regional rankings, but perhaps somewhat of a revenge game for GVSU. The visiting Lakers were victorious over LSSU by a 76-71 score for their fourth straight win, as Grand Valley State evened the season series over Lake Superior State. Both teams are ranked in the top four in the Midwest Region, but GVSU shot the ball very well in moving to 8-1 on the road this season.

Entering the ballgame, Lake Superior State was second in the GLIAC North Division and third in the latest Midwest Regional rankings, while Grand Valley State was third in the GLIAC North and fourth in the regional ranks. With the victory, GVSU now sits at 17-4 on the season and 10-4 in league play, while LSSU falls to 14-6 overall and 11-3 in the conference. The win was even sweeter for Grand Valley State as it fell in a 79-72 overtime battle to Lake Superior State in Allendale on Jan. 8. GVSU also snapped its three-game losing streak to LSSU and won in Sault Ste. Marie for the first time since Jan. 10, 2009.

Both teams shot an even 50.0 percent from the field, but there were interesting disparities from the free throw line and beyond the arc. For the second time this season, GVSU did not make a three-pointer, as the visiting Lakers were 0-of-9 from long distance, while LSSU made 6-of-17 three-point attempts. Interestingly enough, Grand Valley State was victorious in both games when it went scoreless from behind the three-point line. At the charity stripe is where GVSU did its damage, as it went 24-of-31 from the line, compared to just 11-of-16 for the home Lakers.

That 13-point advantage for Grand Valley State was coupled with a 22-10 edge in bench points and a 38-30 lead in points in the paint. In a game where the lead changed hands 11 times, free throws were key. GVSU was a perfect 6-of-6 at the line in the first half and made 18-of-25 attempts in the final 20 minutes.

The lead had been swapped seven times in just the first eight minutes of the game, as Lake Superior State eventually pushed out to a 19-12 early advantage. LSSU led 23-18 when Grand Valley State received back-to-back buckets from sophomore Briauna Taylor to bring GVSU within a point at 23-22. Two free throws from Taylor, a jumper from sophomore Lauren Stodola, and a layup from Taylor put Grand Valley State ahead with a 28-25 lead with 3:50 left in the opening half.

A minute later, sophomore Alex Stelfox scored on a jumper and Taylor closed out the first half scoring with two more free throws, putting GVSU on top by a 32-25 score at intermission. That was good news for Laker fans, as Grand Valley State entered the game with a 10-0 record when leading at halftime. In the first half, GVSU shot 13-of-26 from the field, a figure it would duplicate exactly in the next 20 minutes of the game.

The seven-point lead did not last long, as Lake Superior State scored the first eight points of the second half and captured a 33-32 edge with 16:32 left in the game. Both teams would own one-point leads for the next few minutes until Stodola made a free throw at the 14:17 mark, putting GVSU ahead 37-36. The visiting Lakers would not trail again.

Stelfox would connect on a jumper and minutes later, freshman Tori Klewicki-McNutt would bury back-to-back jumpers, giving Grand Valley State a 46-38 cushion. The lead continued to build as Klewicki-McNutt found sophomore Jessica Trambley for a layup and a nine-point lead nearing the halfway point of the second stanza. Lake Superior State would pull to within four points on a few occasions, including the last time at 58-54 with 4:50 remaining.

GVSU responded with four straight points on two free throws from Brittany Taylor and a layup from Briauna Taylor to open up a 62-54 advantage. A jumper from Brittany Taylor nearly two minutes later put Grand Valley State on top, 67-56, with 2:24 left, which was the biggest lead of the game. The teams would trade free throws the rest of the ballgame, with GVSU making 9-of-12 attempts in the final 65 seconds to preserve the win.

For the visiting Lakers, Briauna Taylor totaled team-high scoring honors with 21 points on 7-of-16 shooting. She also made 7-of-8 free throws and added six rebounds in 35 minutes. Stelfox was 8-of-13 from the floor and scored 16 points to go with four boards.

Brittany Taylor was the third GVSU player in double figures with 12 points, as she was 3-of-4 from the field and 6-of-8 from the charity stripe. Stodola supplied nine points, a career-high eight rebounds, and two assists in 39 minutes. It was the third straight game Stodola played at least 38 minutes. She leads the team with 30.1 minutes per game.

LSSU had four players reach double digits, led by Emily Joseph's game-highs of 24 points and six assists. Maria Blazejewski added 11 points, while Nicole Marshall and Ronlea Peterson each supplied 10 markers.

Grand Valley State will continue its current four-game road trip next weekend in Ohio. On Thursday night (Feb. 10), the team will meet up with Ashland in a 7:30 p.m. battle, followed by a Saturday showdown at Lake Erie.