March 2, 2011

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Allendale, Mich. - #25 Grand Valley State fell to a red-hot Northwood team in the quarterfinals of the 2011 GLIAC Tournament on Wednesday night (Mar. 2), as the Lakers dropped a 63-39 final score in Allendale. The Timberwolves led 29-20 at halftime and used a 15-1 run to begin the second half and start to pull away from GVSU, which recorded a season-low in points and field goal percentage. Despite the loss, Grand Valley State still has a good chance to advance to the NCAA Tournament.

With the victory, Northwood improves to 15-11 overall, while GVSU falls to 20-7 on the season. The Lakers were awarded the #3 seed in the conference tournament after a strong regular season, while NU entered as the league's #6 seed. While the loss certainly did not help Grand Valley State's cast for an NCAA Tournament bid, the Lakers were the fourth seed in the latest Midwest Regional rankings and the top eight teams advance to the NCAA Tournament. It is unlikely that GVSU would slip out of the top eight in the region. Northwood advances to the GLIAC Final Four this weekend (Mar. 5-6) in Houghton, Mich. at Michigan Tech.

GVSU could just never get into a rhythm on Wednesday night. The Lakers' 39 points were nine fewer than the 48 points they totaled against Northwood on Jan. 12, which was the team's previous low point total. In addition, the 19.7 field goal percentage was the lowest mark of the year and Grand Valley State was just 1-of-19 from three-point range. Northwood did not shoot much better - 35.4 percent from the field - but the Timberwolves made 24-of-31 free throw tries and played stellar defense, forcing 16 GVSU turnovers.

Grand Valley State actually opened a 7-0 lead on a three-pointer from junior Jasmine Padin (the team's only trifecta of the night), a pair of free throws from sophomore Briauna Taylor, and a layup from center Alex Stelfox. The Timberwolves rallied back to tie the score at 11-11, but two free throws and a layup from sophomore Brittany Taylor put GVSU ahead 15-13 with 11:30 remaining in the half. It would be the last time Grand Valley State would lead in the game.

After three straight points from Savannah Stedman, Northwood took a 16-15 lead it would never relinquish. The Timberwolves closed the half on a 16-5 run to take a 29-20 advantage into halftime. Couple that spurt with the run at the beginning of the second half and Northwood combined for a 31-6 rally that put the game out of reach. GVSU shot just 18.2 percent in the first half and made 1-of-11 three-pointers.

The Timberwolves would build a 20-point cushion less than eight minutes into the second half and Grand Valley State would not get any closer the rest of the way. Northwood had four players in double figures, including Stedman's game-highs of 16 points and 10 rebounds. Guard Rachel Church added 13 points and made three triples, the GLIAC's leading scorer Pam Wilson supplied 11 points despite shooting 1-of-11 from the floor, and Brittany Gibson notched 10 points and eight boards.

For GVSU, no players reached double digits. Brittany Taylor and Briauna Taylor each scored a team-high nine points, as Brittany pulled down a team-best eight boards and Briauna added six rebounds and three steals. Stelfox supplied eight points and eight boards.

Seeds for the NCAA Midwest Regional Tournament will be released on Sunday night. Stay tuned to gvsulakers.com for more postseason information.