Nov. 23, 2013

Box Score

Allendale, Mich. - Grand Valley State trailed by 13 points early in the second half on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 23) against visiting Kentucky Wesleyan, but the Lakers outscored KWC 31-15 the rest of the game to earn a hard-fought 61-58 victory. Senior guard Rob Woodson's layup with 27 seconds left gave GVSU a lead it would not relinquish.

The Lakers moved to 2-0 on the season thanks to a strong second half. After trailing 38-28 at halftime, Grand Valley State outscored Kentucky Wesleyan 33-20 in the final 20 minutes, shooting 50.0 percent from the field. The Panthers, formerly of the Great Lakes Valley Conference, drop to 1-4 on the year.

GVSU led 8-3 in the early going after a three-pointer from sophomore Darren Kapustka at the 15:35 mark before Kentucky Wesleyan went on a 25-9 run over the next 10 minutes. A trifecta from KWC'S Lucas Barker made the score 28-17 in the Panthers' favor, the largest lead of the first half. Kentucky Wesleyan took the 38-28 lead into halftime on 45.5 percent shooting from the field and 14-of-16 at the charity stripe.

In the first half, GVSU made 10 shots and six of those came from downtown. Junior guard Ryan Sabintallied half of the Lakers' points (14 of 28) in the first 20 minutes, making 4-of-8 three-pointers. Kapustka was 2-of-3 from beyond the arc.

KWC led 43-30 with 18:24 to play in the second half. From there, Sabin notched back-to-back three-pointers and freshman Luke Ryskamp drilled a triple in less than two minutes to bring the Lakers within four points at 43-39. The Panthers held the advantage until sophomore Ernijs Ansons drilled a three-pointer to put GVSU ahead 50-49 at the 9:24 mark.

Kentucky Wesleyan regained the lead at 53-52 with 6:31 to go, but after two Ricardo Carbajal free throws, the Lakers were within a point (58-57) with 57 seconds remaining. On the next possession, Sabin stole the ball from Ken-Jah Bosley and senior Rob Woodson went coast-to-coast for the go-ahead layup with 27 seconds left.

Another KWC turnover gave Grand Valley State the ball back and Kapustka was fouled, went to the line, and buried a pair of free throws for the 61-58 lead. A potential game-tying three-pointer from Bosley just before time expired missed its target, clinching the win for GVSU.

Sabin was terrific with a game-high and career-high 20 points. He was 7-of-13 from the field and made 6-of-11 three-point shots. The six trifectas are the most by a Laker since Jason Jamerson drilled seven three-pointers in a 66-63 win over Aquinas on Dec. 21, 2007. The GVSU school record for made three-pointers in a game is eight, done four times - and most recently in 1989. Sabin played all 40 minutes on Saturday and tallied five rebounds, three steals, two assists, and zero turnovers.

Carbajal put up another strong outing, totaling 16 points and nine rebounds. Kapustka added eight points and a career-high six assists off the bench for Grand Valley State, which owned a 23-6 edge in points off turnovers. KWC committed 16 turnovers, while the Lakers had just eight miscues. GVSU was 10-of-23 from downtown, while the Panthers led 41-25 in rebounds.

Grand Valley State is off until next Saturday (Nov. 30), when the Lakers travel to southern Ohio to take on Cedarville in a non-conference game. The teams have split the last two meetings, with each team winning on its home floor. Last year, GVSU defeated the Yellow Jackets 69-66 in overtime in Allendale.