A strong first half and even stronger play from its post players helped Grand Valley State top Hope in an exhibition contest in Holland on Tuesday night (Nov. 11), as the Lakers captured an 82-64 victory. GVSU shot an even 50.0 percent from the field and owned a 46-28 rebounding advantage over the Flying Dutchmen.
With the 2014-15 regular season opening this weekend in Illinois, Tuesday's showing for the Lakers was an impressive one. Hope, with a 20-8 record last season, has led all of Division III in men's basketball attendance for each of the past six years. On Tuesday, 2,227 fans came to the DeVos Fieldhouse to see Grand Valley State double up the Dutchmen (44-22) by halftime and win handily.
Head coach
Ric Wesley seemed pleased with that first half effort. "Tonight, especially in the first half, I thought we played pretty good," explained Wesley. "Our defense was strong, ball movement was pretty good. Overall, a good night for us. Happy to get a win."
It was the last exhibition tune-up for GVSU, which opens against Missouri-St. Louis and Quincy this Saturday (Nov. 15) and Sunday (Nov. 16). Last Thursday, the Lakers played well in a 60-52 exhibition defeat at Division I Valparaiso.
"We start our season this weekend at a tough tournament," Wesley continued. "It was important for us tonight to play well against a good team. I think Hope is going to have an outstanding season."
In addition to shooting 25-of-50 from the field, Grand Valley State was stellar at the charity stripe. The Lakers knocked down 30-of-38 free throws for a 78.9 percentage, as eight different players made at least one freebie.
All that said, it was GVSU's frontcourt that made the difference. Senior center
Darren Washington made 8-of-9 field goals and 4-of-5 free throws for a game-high 20 points. He added eight rebounds and did all that work in just 14 minutes on the court.
Junior forward
Ricardo Carbajal reached double-figures with 13 points in only 18 minutes, while senior forward
Chaz Rollins pulled down a game-high 10 boards and added nine points. Combined, that trio posted 42 points and 20 rebounds.
Senior guard
Ryan Sabin totaled 12 points, while sophomore guard
Luke Ryskamp made all six free throws and scored eight points. Junior backcourt mate
Darren Kapustka scored seven points, while backup forward
Brandon Barkley grabbed six boards in 16 minutes off the bench.
Hope led 18-17 at the midway point of the first half before GVSU - and specifically the two Darrens - went on a game-changing 15-0 run. After a short jumper from Rollins put the Lakers on top, Washington converted consecutive layups and Kapustka and Washington each made a pair of free throws.
After the Dutchmen stopped the run with GVSU ahead 32-20, newcomer
Drake Baar hit a jumper, Ryskamp scored on a fastbreak layup and two freebies, and Sabin connected on a three-pointer. A jumper from Washington took the Lakers into the locker room with a 44-22 halftime cushion.
In the second half, Hope would get the score down to an 11-point deficit (59-48) at the 9:29 mark before Carbajal hit two free throws and Sabin scored six points to keep Grand Valley State comfortably ahead. The Dutchmen would not get within 16 points the rest of the way.
The Lakers' rebounding edge was key, especially on the defensive end. GVSU recorded 33 defensive boards (Hope had just 17), but the Lakers pulled down nearly as many offensive boards (13) as Hope's 17 defensive boards on the same side of the floor.
Grand Valley State held the Dutchmen to just 34.4 percent shooting and 6-of-18 from beyond the arc.
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