vs. Ashland (Thursday, 8:00 p.m.): Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes

vs. Lake Erie (Saturday, 3:00 p.m.): Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes

The Grand Valley State men's basketball team kicks off GLIAC play this weekend in a familiar venue, as the Lakers will close out their season-long seven game homestand against a pair of South Division opponents. GVSU opens the conference regular season with an 8:00 p.m. game against Ashland on Thursday (Dec. 3) before facing Lake Erie on Saturday (Dec. 5) at 3:00 p.m.

Winners of all five games this season, the Lakers will begin conference play with a perfect 5-0 record. All of Grand Valley State's games thus far have been inside the Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, where the Lakers have won seven straight games dating back to last season. GVSU is most recently coming off of a 91-60 victory over Salem International last Saturday afternoon (Nov. 28).

It is the fourth time during 12-year head coach Ric Wesley's tenure that Grand Valley State has started with a 5-0 record. The last time GVSU did so was in 2013-14, when the Lakers started 8-0 and finished the year with a 19-8 record. 

Grand Valley State opened the 2015-16 regular season with a pair of close wins over two Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) opponents, Quincy (76-67) and Missouri-St. Louis (63-57). Since those two tight contests, the Lakers won their next three games by 48, 26, and 31 points, defeating Olivet, Grace Bible, and Salem International, respectively. 

One of the top team stats in the early part of the season - aside from the +24.0 points per game margin - is the Lakers' rebounding. GVSU has outrebounded its opponents in all five games and owns a +11.4 rebounding margin, the best figure in the league and the seventh-best in all of Division II. Grand Valley State has outrebounded its opponents by 5, 4, 16, 24, and 8 in the first five victories.

Defensively, the Lakers rank fourth in the country in scoring defense - allowing just 59.6 points per game - and fourth in defensive field goal percentage (.361). GVSU has allowed just one opponent to score more than 60 points, as Quincy notched 67 points in the season opener.

Junior guard Luke Ryskamp, coming off a season-best 26 points and career-high five assists, is leading the way with 17.6 points per game. He is one of four Lakers averaging double-digits in scoring, followed by senior Ricardo Carbajal (11.6 ppg.), junior Trevin Alexander (11.0 ppg.), and junior Juwan Starks (10.5 ppg.). In total, eight GVSU players are scoring at least five points per game.

Ryskamp is shooting 54.2 percent from three-point range, knocking down 13-of-24 three-point attempts. He is second in the league with 13 made trifectas, just one shy of the GLIAC leader, while his three-point percentage is the highest among any player with at least 20 attempts.

Alexander ranks second in the GLIAC with 13 steals, while adding great rebounding numbers. He is fifth in the league with 9.3 rebounds per game, sixth with 37 total boards, eighth with 26 defensive rebounds, and 12th with 11 offensive caroms. Senior Chaz Rollins is also second in the conference with 10 blocked shots, including a career-best five rejections in the opener against Quincy.

Thursday's opponent, Ashland, also comes into GLIAC play with a 5-0 overall record. The Eagles defeated Missouri S&T and Indianapolis to open the regular season, then followed with wins over Silver Lake, Alderson-Broaddus, and Gannon. Three of those five wins have been either on the road or at neutral sites. Ashland is the GLIAC leader in both free throws made (22.0) and attempted (31.2) per game and also in opponents three-point percentage (.234).

While GVSU ranks first in fewest points allowed (59.6) to its opponents, Ashland is second in that category, allowing 61.6 points per game. AU's opponents are shooting 40.6 percent from the floor, the third-lowest figure in the GLIAC. 

Junior forward Wendell Davis has been one of the top players in the league over the season's first few weeks, as he has scored more points (116) than anybody in the GLIAC. His 23.2 points per game are the third-best average. Davis is 42-for-50 at the free throw line, which are both by far the best marks of any conference player. He is also fifth in the league in assists (19) and eighth in total rebounds (36). Both sophomore forward Marsalis Hamilton and junior guard Boo Osborne are scoring 11.4 points per game.

Lake Erie will take on Ferris State on Thursday night before coming to Allendale on Saturday. The Storm is 3-2 to start the season, having their three-game winning streak snapped on Monday night (Nov. 30) at Notre Dame (Ohio) by a 90-87 score. Both of the team's losses are by three points, as Lake Erie has defeated Missouri S&T, Seton Hill, and Edinboro. Having played four away and neutral site games already, the Storm are 2-2 in such contests.

The GLIAC leaders in three-pointers made (11.2) and attempted (29.4) per game, Lake Erie is shooting 38.1 percent from beyond the arc, the fourth-best figure in the conference. Defensively, the Storm are holding opponents to the third-lowest three-point percentage (.304) and the seventh-lowest field goal percentage (.447).

Senior guard Andy Bosley leads Lake Erie in both scoring (18.2 points) and rebounding (6.0), while classmate and fellow guard Trey Howard is scoring 14.2 points per game and is the team leader with 10 three-pointers and 56.0 field goal percentage.

Last season, GVSU fell in a four-overtime classic at Ashland, 93-92, on Dec. 4 in Ohio, tying the longest game in school history. Two days later, the fatigured Lakers dropped a 73-60 contest at Lake Erie. In the all-time series, Grand Valley State leads both Ashland (17-13) and LEC (6-1).

Next weekend will be GVSU's first regular season road trip, as the Lakers travel to Tiffin (Friday, Dec. 11) and Ohio Dominican (Sunday, Dec. 13).