at Tiffin (Friday, 6:00 p.m.): | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
at Ohio Dominican (Sunday, 1:00 p.m.): Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes

With just a pair of conference games under the belt thus far, the Grand Valley State women's basketball team has a long way to go in determining the success this season will hold for them. This weekend poses a prime opportunity for the Lakers to take control of their own destiny, as they face Tiffin on Friday before taking on a tough Ohio Dominican squad on Sunday.
 
Tiffin (2-4, 0-2 GLIAC) currently sit at the bottom of the South Division, having lost two straight games. The Dragons allow more points (75.7 per game) than they score (67.5), and are a -50 in scoring margin on the season.  Opponents are shooting 43 percent from the field on the Dragons this season.
 
"I think Tiffin is a team similar to Lake Erie, in that they want to make play, they want to gamble on ya, so if you're not solid they'll turn you over, but if you are solid with the ball, you'll get some easy buckets," said gvsu head coach Mike Williams. "They are going through the same thing our team is with a new coach, so it's a big adjustment."
 
The Lakers sit in good shape this season at 5-2 overall (1-1 GLIAC),  having split the opening weekend of GLIAC play at home last weekend. The conference loss, however, was to a ranked Ashland team that is a perfect 7-0 on the season.
 
"I thought we played well, Ashland was ranked and one of the better teams in the GLIAC, and obviously you'd like to win at home but I thought we battled, we learned some things from it, and we did a good job of improving the things we didn't do well against Ashland when we faced Lake Erie,"said Williams. The Lakers best the Storm in the second game of the weekend, 70-54.
 
On Sunday, the Lakers will face the Pathers of Ohio Dominican (6-1 overall, 2-0 GLIAC) who sit in second place in the South Division behind Ashland. The Panthers have good size on their starting five, and have a veritable post threat in forward Melissa Scherpenberg, who is seventh in the GLIAC in points per game (15.4) and first in rebounding (11.1). When teams collapse down on Scherpenberg, the Panthers turn to Tori Beth Leader, who leads the team with 16.1 points per game.
 
"ODU is a team that wants to put the ball inside on that block (similar to Ashland), and that's something we struggle with defending," Williams said. "It's going to be a great test for us, keeping it out of those post players hands. They shoot very well around the rim, so that strategy is going to be a concern."
 
One way the Lakers can make an impact in the game is by staying deadly from behind the arc. Grand Valley is first in the conference and eighth in the nation in Division II in made 3 pointers per game, with 9.4. That potency on the long ball has helped Grand Valley outpaced it's opponents in scoring this season, leading to a +69 margin in that regard.
 
"We're kind of geared to take certain types of shots, and when you take 3 pointers it limits your turnovers and creates opportunities for offensive rebounds, especially for a smaller team like we are," Williams said."I think any time you can hit a few early shots and get off to a good start it never hurts."
 
With the Lakers about to get into the thick of conference play, it is important that they continue to be solid defensively. While the point totals allowed by Grand Valley in the past few games have not been as low as Williams might like, the philosophy on defense remains the same for his squad.
 
"You try to take teams out of what they want to do, try to get them away from their strength, their go-to," Williams said. " We preach active hands on defense, being alert and active to make plays, and we have 2 or 3 good playmakers who can make plays off the ball and get turnovers."
 
Friday's game is set for 6 p.m at Gillmor Student Center in Tiffin, Ohio. The game on Sunday will tip off at 1:00 pm at Alumni Hall in Columbus, Ohio.