In the team's lone exhibition game of the 2014-15 season, Grand Valley State put together a solid 40 minutes of play before falling to #14 Michigan State in East Lansing, 70-51. The Lakers owned an 18-2 edge in bench points and nearly played MSU equal in the second half, being outscored 31-29 in the final stanza.

Michigan State, the reigning Big Ten champions, and a top-15 team in multiple publications pulled out to a 39-22 score at halftime, but from there, the Lakers played much better in the second half against the Spartans. GVSU shot 37.3 percent from the field and while Michigan State did shoot 44.6 percent overall, the Lakers forced MSU into just 4-of-18 shooting from three-point range.

A pair of Lakers - senior Kat LaPrairie and sophomore Kayla Dawson - reached double-figures. Both players scored 11 points, as LaPrairie connected on 3-of-7 three-point attempts. Sophomore Piper Tucker delivered eight points and six boards, while newcomer Korynn Hincka supplied eight points and eight rebounds off the GVSU bench.

LaPrairie's three-pointer just 38 seconds into the contest were the first points of the game and she drained another triple two minutes later to make the score, 7-6. From there, Michigan State used a 16-5 run to open things up to a 23-11 advantage midway through the first half. Tucker's trifecta kept the score in single digits (23-14) before MSU rattled off the next seven points.

The Spartans scored 26 of their 39 first-half points in the painted area. Seven GVSU players reached the scoring column in the first half.

Michigan State's biggest lead (49-24) came at the 15:19 mark of the second half, but from that point, the Lakers outscored the home Spartans, 27-21. Hincka notched an old-fashioned three-point play and knocked down a triple just 42 seconds later.

GVSU scored eight straight points - six of which came from Dawson and another layup from sophomore Janae Langs - to bring the deficit to 54-38. Langs and Dawson scored on consecutive layups just moments later, while Tucker's three-pointer at the 6:23 mark brought the Lakers to a 59-45 score.

The Lakers totaled a 9-4 edge in points off turnovers in the second half, notching 12 bench points in the final frame. 

Michigan State led the rebounding battle, 45-32. GVSU turned the ball over 14 times, but also recorded nine steals and forced a dozen MSU miscues.

Langs provided six points, five boards, two assists, and two steals off the bench, as fellow guard Brionna Barnett added four points, four assists, and three rebounds. Hincka and Dawson also recorded two steals.

Grand Valley State's season opener is next Monday (Nov. 17), when the Lakers host Rochester in a 7:00 p.m. contest inside the Fieldhouse Arena.