Allendale, Mich. -- A quality road win was the only thing missing from the Grand Valley State women's basketball team's already impressive 2014-15 season. Saturday (Jan. 24) evening at Northwood, the Lakers picked up that victory in dominant fashion. Had the Timberwolves failed to knock down a handful of difficult shots, GVSU's 13-point margin of victory could've easily been even higher.
 
Head coach Janel Burgess attributed the impressive performance to playing a complete 40 minutes. The Lakers got plenty of defensive stops, even if the box score makes it seem otherwise. They also had their best shooting performance in a road game (48.4 percent) this season.
 
"There were a lot of possessions in that game. For the most part, you can see the fluency in that game," says Burgess. "We were locked in. Northwood has a very high-octane offense and we did a good job of really making them earn it, especially in the first half…I think it was a good sense of grinding it out and finding a way to win on the road. If you look at the Michigan Tech loss, we didn't do that.
 
"To be able to put a complete 40 minutes together, and do it on the road, it was a good accomplishment for our team. And (that) is what we need to do in order to reach our fullest potential."
 
The win also gave the Lakers sole possession of second place in the GLIAC North Division. While that is something they can take pride in for now, Burgess insists this team bigger goals in mind. Avoiding complacency has been a message in this week's practices.
 
"We have so much more to accomplish, because there is so much more of the season left," she says. "We have to understand there are 10 big games ahead of us. At this point, not one game is bigger than the next…We need to maintain and continue to build."
 
Post play is something GVSU has been building from day one. The developments of its forwards and centers will be put through a rigorous test this week, as Saginaw Valley State and Hillsdale feature two of the conference's top post players.
 
The Cardinals, who come to Allendale on Thursday (Jan. 29), are led by sophomore forward Emily Wendling. The 6-foot-3 center is averaging a double-double (17.3 points & 10.2 rebounds) and shooting 50.7 percent from the floor. When the Lakers travel to Hillsdale on Saturday (Jan. 31), they will square off with reigning GLIAC Player of the Year Megan Fogt. The senior forward is posting 15.0 points and 9.1 rebounds nightly.
 
Although those matchups will be challenging, Burgess is confident that Piper Tucker and Korynn Hincka are up to the task.
 
"This is what we knew we needed to grow into. We knew Korynn would take some time, being a freshman; it looks like she is playing with more confidence and not thinking as much, meaning the system is starting to click for her," says Burgess. "Piper has been playing pretty solid since break. She is continuing to see how effective she can be offensively when she has a scorer's mentality."
 
Tip off for Thursday is set for 6 p.m. ET, while Saturday's clash is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.