vs. Wayne State (Saturday, 3:00 p.m.): Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
vs. Findlay (Sunday, 3:00 p.m.): Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
The Grand Valley State men's basketball team kicks off the 2016 calendar year with a pair of home conference games inside the Fieldhouse Arena. GVSU hosts a pair of GLIAC South Division opponents in Wayne State and Findlay in Allendale this weekend.
 
On Saturday afternoon (Jan. 2), the Lakers meet up with Wayne State before facing Findlay on Sunday afternoon (Jan. 3). Both games are 3:00 p.m. tipoffs. These are the only regular season meetings between GVSU and both Wayne State and Findlay.
 
There are links above to follow along to the live video feed and radio broadcast of both games, as well as links to follow the live stats. The games will be aired on WTKG-AM 1230 and WMUS 107.9 FM, with fifth year play-by-play announcer DJ Foster calling the action.
 
The Lakers are looking to continue their strong play from the end of the 2015 year, as GVSU bring a three-game winning streak into the weekend's matchups. Grand Valley State most recently earned a tough 51-48 non-conference victory at Cedarville on Dec. 19. Prior to that, the Lakers won at Tiffin (83-69) and Ohio Dominican (85-79) on Dec. 11-13.
 
In the Dec. 19 victory at Cedarville, Grand Valley State was victorious despite shooting just 28.3 percent from the field, its lowest figure in nearly 13 years. Back on Feb. 20, 2003, the Lakers also shot 28.3 percent from the floor, but also won 42-40 at Michigan Tech. The Lakers also came out on top against Cedarville despite being outrebounded for the first time all season; the Yellow Jackets held a slim 38-37 advantage on the glass over GVSU.
 
While the Lakers were edged out in the rebounding column, Grand Valley State did record 14 offensive boards and converted that to a 22-4 edge in second chance points. GVSU was also nearly perfect at the free throw line, connecting on 13-of-14 attempts, including all four tries in the final 1:38 of the contest.
 
Grand Valley State owned a 26-5 advantage in bench points, led by senior guard Darren Kapustka's game-high and season-high 14 points. Kapustka drained a three-pointer (he was 3-for-5 from beyond the arc) with 2:56 to play, giving the Lakers a 47-44 lead they would not relinquish. Senior Ricardo Carbajal (10 points, five boards) and junior Trevin Alexander (10 points, seven rebounds) also reached double figures.
 
The Lakers continue to lead the GLIAC in rebounding margin (+9.1), which ranks the team 14th in all of Division II. GVSU is also first in the league in free throws attempted (26.2) and second in made freebies (17.9) and opponents field goal percentage (39.4). Continuing the defensive theme, the Lakers are third in the conference in steals per game (8.0) and points per game allowed (65.4).
 
Wayne State enters Saturday's game with a 2-5 overall record and a 2-2 conference mark. The Warriors lost their first five games of the season before winning at home against Northern Michigan (58-52) and Michigan Tech (77-64) on Dec. 10 and 13, respectively. Those were WSU's last games of 2015.
 
Despite defeating Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech in mid-December, those games were both in Detroit; WSU is 0-3 on the road with losses at Lewis (62-60), Northwood (94-80), and Lake Superior State (76-61). Wayne State ranks first in the GLIAC in offensive rebounds per game (14.1) and fourth in blocked shots (3.3), but rank last out of 16 teams in points per game (66.0), field goal percentage (40.3), and three-pointers made per game (4.9).
 
Sophomore guard Ronald Booth leads the Warriors with 16.1 points per game, but ups that average to 21.3 points per game in four conference contests. Overall, Booth is shooting 38.5 percent from the field and is connecting at a 43.2 percent clip from three-point range, draining 16 triples. He is an 81.8 percent free throw shooter. Junior forward Michael Lewis is posting 14.3 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 56.9 percent from the field, 84.2 percent at the charity stripe, and 10-of-16 from three-point range.
 
At 5-4 overall and also 2-2 in GLIAC play, Findlay is currently riding a three-game winning streak, but the Oilers are just 1-4 away from home, including a 1-2 record in true road games. UF also defeated Michigan Tech (62-52) and Northern Michigan (73-71) in mid-December and had no problem with Marygrove (111-77) on Dec. 19.
 
Findlay lost its most recent road games, falling in lopsided contests at Lake Superior State (77-54) and Northwood (75-56) in early December. The Oilers ranks sixth in the GLIAC in steals per game (7.4) and ninth in both three-pointers made (7.1) and attempted (21.0). Findlay's opponents shoot a GLIAC-best 48.4 percent from the field and 39.5 percent from three-point range, the third-highest mark of any team.
 
Sophomore guard Martyce Kimbrough is scoring a team-best 12.0 points per game, knocking down 41.2 percent of his three-point attempts (21-of-51) and 88.5 percent of his free throws (23-of-26). He has just eight total rebounds in nine games. Sophomore forward Taren Sullivan (10.7 points per game, 50.6 field goal percentage) and senior forward John Staley (10.2 points per game, 67.3 percent shooting) are also in double-digits.
 
The Lakers travel to Canton, Ohio on Jan. 7-9 to take on Walsh and Malone.