Midland, Mich. -- Aside from the opening two minutes of regulation, the Grand Valley State women's basketball team dominated every facet of its matchup with Northwood. The Lakers, who had their best shooting performance (48.4 percent) in a road game since Jan. 9, 2014, went 31-of-64 from the field and 20-of-23 from the free throw line to post an 86-73 victory at the Bennett Center.

The win gives GVSU, which is 12-4 overall and 9-3 in conference play, sole possession of second place in the GLIAC North Division. Entering today's game, the Lakers and Timberwolves were tied for second in the division.

Even when GVSU did miss a shot, an offensive rebound usually followed. It grabbed 14 offensive rebounds—the team's third-highest total of the season—leading to 23 second-chance points. Overall, the Lakers outrebounded Northwood 41-29.

Although junior guard Brionna Barnett notched a team-high 22 points, sophomore forward Piper Tucker had the most efficient afternoon. The East Lansing, Michigan native poured in a season-high 15 points on 7-of-8 (87.5 percent) shooting, the highest field goal percentage by a Laker this season. Barnett added three assists, three rebounds and one steal.

Sophomores Kayla Dawson and Taylor Lutz turned in outstanding games as well. Dawson came within one rebound of a double-double, finishing with a 16-point, nine-rebound outing. The nine boards matched her season high. Meanwhile, Lutz notched a career-high 15 points. Both went 5-of-9 from the floor.

Following a two-minute stretch in which it was outscored 3-2, GVSU began to build momentum, eventually seizing a 9-7 edge at the 15:59 mark. Then everything started to fall.

Freshman center Korynn Hincka ignited a run with a layup. Dawson extended it with a three-point play. Barnett split a pair of freebies, drained a triple and capped the 11-0 stretch with a mid-range jumper. Northwood cut the deficit to six, but sophomore guard Janae Langs, junior forward Jammie Botruff, senior forward Kat LaPrairie and Lutz teamed up and rattled off nine unanswered points. Another run at the end of the half made it 44-25. When the horn sounded at the end of the opening 20 minutes, the Lakers took a 44-33 advantage into the locker room.

It took the Timberwolves nearly 12 minutes to claw within nine points. GVSU only needed half that time to push its lead back to 18 points (84-62) and put Northwood away for good.

The Lakers will welcome league rival Saginaw Valley State to Allendale on Thursday (Jan. 29). Tip off at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.

Notes:
-Saturday (Jan. 24) marked the second time this season Brionna Barnett scored 20 or more points in a game; it is the fifth 20-point outing by a Laker this season
-Taylor Lutz now has two double-digit scoring performances this season
-GVSU's 44 points in the first half was its fifth-highest first half total, while its 42 points in the second half was its third-highest second half total of the 2014-15 campaign
-The Lakers' 86 points were the second-most they scored against a Division II opponents this season
-The club's 16-point victory was its sixth-highest margin of victory this season
-GVSU finished the game with a +12 rebounding margin, making it the second-largest margin of the season
-The Lakers shot 87 percent from the charity stripe, its second-best performance of the season