Allendale, Mich. -- Just when a late lead seemed to be slipping away from the Grand Valley State women's basketball team, junior guard Brionna Barnett delivered a game-saving dagger. With just five ticks left on the shot clock, and only 18 seconds remaining in regulation, Barnett took an inbounds near half court and drove left. A nifty crossover gave Barnett the space she needed to pull up from 20 feet. All the Walsh Cavaliers could do was watch, as the shot caught nothing but net, lifting the Lakers to a 72-66 victory.
 
Barnett finished with 12 points, eight of which came in the second half, but none were as important as her final four. The Elkhart, Indiana native also handed out two assists, had a game-high four steals and nabbed two rebounds.
 
Sophomore forwards Kayla Dawson and Piper Tucker turned in outstanding performances as well. The two combined for 29 points on 9-of-21 shooting. Tucker added a career-high 12 rebounds to her 14-point performance, recording the first double-double of her young career. Seven of Dawson's team-high 15 points came at the free throw line, where she knocked down seven of 10 attempts.
 
In her first collegiate start, junior forward Jammie Botruff made an impact in every facet of the game. The Gladstone, Michigan product tallied seven points, six rebounds, three steals, two assists and a block.
 
The Lakers also got nine points from sophomore point guard Taylor Lutz, who notched four helpers, matching her season high for a fourth time.
 
GVSU seemed as though it would run away and hide early on. Behind five points from Tucker, including one of her three triples, the Lakers raced out to a 13-4 lead by the 15:08 mark. A bundle of turnovers let Walsh back into the game. The Cavaliers capitalized on their opportunity, scoring 18 of the game's next 24 points.
 
A layup by Dawson and five straight points by sophomore guard Janae Langs put GVSU back in front by four with 4:12 left in the half, eventually leading to a 33-28 halftime edge.
 
Eight lead changes and four ties during the first 13:13 of the second half set the stage for a thrilling finish.
 
Back-to-back layups from Dawson and Lutz gave the Lakers a four-point lead (60-56) by the 5:11 mark. Three freebies by Dawson stretched the advantage to seven with 3:30 left in regulation. A Tucker free throw and three more freebies from Lutz combatted three of Walsh's conversions at the charity stripe, keeping the lead at a comfortable eight points.
 
Things got uncomfortable in a hurry. Walsh's Alex Hochstedler drained a three. Dawson split a pair of free throws. Hochstedler answered with two freebies, trimming the deficit to four with 45 seconds left. An ill-advised inbounds pass from Tucker resulted in a steal and layup for the Cavaliers, which left the Lakers stunned.

Enter Barnett. Her heroic shot, followed by two freebies in the closing seconds, gave GVSU the spark it needed to hang on.
 
The Lakers improved to 8-3 overall and 5-2 in GLIAC play. They are also 6-0 in home games this season.
 
GVSU now carries a wave of momentum into Saturday's (Jan. 10) league matchup with Malone. Tip off at the Fieldhouse Arena is scheduled for 1 p.m. ET.

Notes:
-GVSU's 15 steals matched its previous season high, which it set against Tiffin back on Dec. 14
-The Lakers went 19-of-26 from the free throw line, matching its season high for converted free throws—the first occurrence came on Dec. 14 against Tiffin
-In its last 21 games against the GLIAC South, GVSU is 17-4, including a six-game winning streak at the Fieldhouse Arena
-GVSU is now 7-0 this season when holding an opponent to less than 70 points, made even more impressive by the fact Walsh averaged a GLIAC-high 78.0 points per game entering tonight's contest
-The Lakers improved to 8-0 this season when leading at the 2:00 mark of the second half
-Piper Tucker and Korynn Hincka are the only Lakers with a double-double this season
-Jammie Botruff's two assists and three steals were both career highs
-Janae Langs set a new career benchmark with two steals