Saginaw Valley State (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.): Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
at Hillsdale (Saturday, 3:00 p.m.): Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes

While the Grand Valley State men's basketball team has lost three games in a row for the first time since the end of the 2011-12 season, the Lakers have a chance to snap that streak in what could be very impressive fashion. GVSU hosts GLIAC co-leader Saginaw Valley State on Thursday night (Jan. 29) before heading to Hillsdale on Saturday (Jan. 31).
 
The Lakers will welcome in their 'Battle of the Valleys' rival on Thursday for an 8:00 start against an SVSU team that is in a first place tie with an 11-1 conference record. Following that will be a road trip to Hillsdale at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday. The Chargers (7-5 GLIAC) sit two games ahead of GVSU in the league standings.
 
This is the second week in a row in which Grand Valley State will play one home game and one road game in the same week. It also is the start of a strenuous stretch in which the Lakers will play five games in 10 days. The silver lining is that GVSU plays four of those five games inside the Fieldhouse Arena, where the Lakers are 5-2 this season.
 
Both games can be heard on a pair of radio stations; WTKG-AM 1230 is the flagship station for Laker basketball, while WMUS-FM 107.9 also carries the games. Those contests can also be heard online. Click the link above to access iHeart radio.
 
Last week, Grand Valley State fell in a pair of close contests. Last Thursday (Jan. 22), GVSU was upended at home against Lake Superior State in a 78-75 final before dropping a 78-70 decision at Northwood on Saturday (Jan. 24).
 
Against LSSU, Grand Valley State led 32-29 at halftime, but the visiting Lakers hit seven three-pointers and notched 49 second half points to earn the comeback victory. Four GVSU players reached double-digits, led by 20 points and nine boards from sophomore Luke Ryskamp and 12 points and eight rebounds from classmate Trevin Alexander.
 
Saturday's game at Northwood was the opposite. The Timberwolves took the 41-30 halftime lead, but GVSU got back into the game and outscored NU 40-37 in the second half to make it a ballgame before falling by eight points. Junior Ricardo Carbajal was terrific, notching a career-high tying 24 points and adding nine boards. Guard Darren Kapustka was the only other Laker in double-figures, as the junior scored 12 points.
 
The recent stretch has left Grand Valley State at 9-9 overall and 5-7 in GLIAC play. GVSU returns to Allendale, where the Lakers won their first five games before suffering consecutive losses to Malone and Lake Superior State. Six of the team's final 10 games will be played in the Fieldhouse Arena.
 
After starting the season with a 1-2 record, Saginaw Valley State (15-3 overall, 11-1 GLIAC) rolled off wins in 13 consecutive games, including starting GLIAC play with an 11-0 mark. The Cardinals finally tasted defeat in conference action last Saturday at the hands of Michigan Tech in a 66-58 home loss. SVSU bounced back with a 101-68 non-conference home win over Grace Bible on Monday night.
 
Perhaps most impressive about the Cardinals is the team's 5-0 road record; all five of those victories came in GLIAC games. SVSU won at Ohio Dominican, Tiffin, Malone, and Walsh, but its signature victory is an 81-76 road win at Lake Superior State on Jan. 15. The team's only other losses are against Bellarmine and Lewis in mid-November. Saginaw Valley State has won 14 of its last 15 games.
 
Sophomore forward CJ Turnage - the reigning GLIAC Freshman of the Year - is putting up 14.7 points per game and shooting 61.2 percent from the field. Both marks for Turnage are good for top-10 in the conference. He also leads the league in offensive rebounds and is eighth in assists and steals. Sophomore Garrett Hall has made the eighth-most three-pointers (35) in the league and is scoring 13.5 points per game, while junior Damon Bozeman is adding 12.1 points per contest.
 
Hillsdale (9-7 overall, 7-5 GLIAC) was off to a fine start with an 8-3 record before hitting a mid-season bump where the Chargers dropped four consecutive games. All four of the losses - vs. Findlay, at Northwood, at Lake Superior State, and vs. Michigan Tech - were by 11 points or fewer. Hillsdale nearly dropped its fifth straight on Saturday against Northern Michigan, but scored the game's final seven points - including a slam dunk as time expired - to earn a stunning 59-58 home win.
 
The Chargers actually have a better road record (5-2) than they do at home (4-3). In addition to home losses against Findlay (65-58 on Jan. 10) and Michigan Tech (78-67 on Jan. 22), HC fell on its home floor to Ashland (59-57) on Dec. 11. Heading into this weekend's games, the Chargers are tied with Northwood for the eighth and final spot in the GLIAC Tournament, with the Lakers two games behind both teams.
 
Junior forward Kyle Cooper has made a case to be the GLIAC Player of the Year, as he is the league leader in rebounds per game (10.7) and second in scoring (20.8 ppg.). Cooper also ranks first in the GLIAC in total rebounds, defensive rebounds, and made field goals, while knocking down 30 three-pointers. The only other Charger averaging double-digits is freshman guard Stedman Lowry, who is scoring 10.8 points per game and is ninth in the league with 34 three-pointers.
 
GVSU will be at home three times next week. The Lakers face rival Ferris State on Monday night (Feb. 2) at 8:00 p.m., Northern Michigan on Thursday night (Feb. 5) at 8:00 p.m., and Michigan Tech at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 7).