Feb. 3, 2014

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ALLENDALE, Mich. - The Grand Valley State men's basketball team scored the first eight points and never looked back on Monday (Feb. 3) night at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena, rolling to an 86-62 victory over rival Ferris State in front of 1,831 fans.

The victory moves the Lakers to 14-5 overall with a 10-5 mark in the GLIAC, while the Bulldogs fall to 6-12 overall with a 5-9 conference record.

Junior Ryan Sabin scored 21 first-half points, including five three-pointers, to control play and get the Lakers out to a huge 21-point lead at halftime. As a team, GVSU controlled play in every facet, outscoring Ferris State in points in the paint (34-24), points off turnovers (26-7), second chance points (18-3) and fast break points (6-4).

GVSU scored the first eight points of the game, courtesy of a pair of Sabin trifectas and a layup from freshman Trevin Alexander. After the Bulldogs got on the board, the Lakers scored the next five points to move the lead out to 13-2 only four minutes in to the contest.

The Bulldogs would get as close as six at the 11:10 mark of the first half, cutting the Laker lead to 18-12, but GVSU went on a 7-0 run to take command again, going up 25-12.

The lead would reach 21 after Sabin hit his fifth three-pointer of the first half with only 39 seconds to play, giving the Lakers a comfortable 47-26 lead going in to the locker room.

GVSU forced 15 Bulldog turnovers in the first half, were 7-for-13 from behind the arc and had 13 assists on 15 baskets in the first 20 minutes.

The lead would reach its largest point less than two minutes in to the second half, as the Lakers scored the first six points to push the lead out to 53-26, a 27-point advantage.

From there, the Lakers controlled the clock and kept the Bulldogs at bay, as Ferris State could not get any closer than within 18 points.

Sabin led all scorers with his 21 points, including a 5-for-8 mark from three, grabbing six rebounds and dishing out four assists. He was one of three Lakers to score in double figures, as senior Rob Woodson chipped in 11 points, six assists and five rebounds, while sophomore Ricardo Carbajal had 10 points and five rebounds off the bench. As a team, the Lakers had 22 assists on 29 buckets and had 11 steals on the night.

GVSU will continue the home-stand on Thursday (Feb. 2) when the Lakers welcome Northern Michigan in to the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena for an 8 p.m. tip.