A terrific second half comeback by the Grand Valley State men's basketball team fell incomplete on Saturday afternoon (Dec. 5), as the Lakers dropped an 84-78 final to visiting Lake Erie. GVSU trailed by as many as 23 points in the final 20 minutes before cutting the deficit to just four points in the final minute. Lake Erie closed out the win with strong free throw shooting late in the game.

The loss ends Grand Valley State's season-long seven game homestand, as the Lakers will head on the road next weekend. GVSU is now 5-2 overall and 0-2 in GLIAC play, while Lake Erie improves to 4-3 on the season and 1-1 in conference action. 

GVSU shot above 50.0 percent in both halves - finishing at 51.9 percent for the game - but found itself behind at halftime due to red-hot shooting from Lake Erie in the opening half. The Storm took a 52-36 halftime advantage thanks to 10-for-16 shooting from three-point range. Six different LEC players drained a triple in the first half, as the Storm connected on 53.1 percent of its field goals in the opening half.

The Lake Erie lead was 23 points at 67-44 with 12:14 remaining, but GVSU continued to chip away and pulled to within four points (80-76) with 16 seconds to play. Four Storm free throws clinched the win for the visitors.

Three Lakers reached double-digits, led by Chaz Rollins' double-double of 13 points and 13 rebounds. Rollins was 5-of-6 from the field and added three steals, two blocks, and an assist. Fellow senior Aaron Hayes scored a team-best 16 points and totaled four assists, three boards, and a steal. Junior guard Luke Ryskamp added 10 points.

After Lake Erie scored the opening basket, GVSU ran off 11 straight points, including four from Hayes and a three-pointer from starting freshman guard Zach West. The 11-2 lead was cut to 15-14 after a run by the Storm, but the Lakers extended back to a 26-17 lead with a layup from junior Trevin Alexander, another West trifecta, and a Rollins layup.

Lake Erie started to make its run at that point, as the Storm made eight three-pointers in the final 9:15 of the half, surging ahead to take a 52-36 halftime lead. In fact, Lake Erie's final seven made field goals in the first half were from beyond the arc.

The Storm extended that advantage to 67-44 nearing the midway point of the second half, but the Lakers started to chip away. Rollins scored on a layup and senior Darren Kapustka nailed a three-pointer. Four straight points from senior Ricardo Carbajal helped get the deficit down to 67-54.

Kapustka buried another three-pointer with 4:22 to play to make the score 70-61, as the Laker defense buckled down and prevented Lake Erie from continuing its outside shooting. The Storm went 1-for-8 from three-point range in the second half.

Rollins scored on an old-fashioned three-point play in the final two minutes and Alexander added a layup, but Lake Erie continued to make free throws in between Laker baskets. A three-pointer from Hayes pulled GVSU within four points at 80-76 with 18 seconds left. Lake Erie's Andy Bosley (10-for-10 on freebies in the game) sank a pair of free throws, as did Collin Barth, closing out the scoring for the Storm.

Lake Erie, which entered as just a 62-percent shooting team at the line, went 23-of-29 for a 79.3 percent clip on Saturday. In the second half, LEC was 15-of-18.

Kapustka and West each hit a trio of three-pointers for their nine points apiece. Carbajal added eight points and freshman Justin Greason supplied six points and three boards in 10 minutes. Alexander notched four points, four rebounds, and four assists.

The Lakers go on the road for the first time in the regular season. GVSU heads to Tiffin and Ohio Dominican next Friday night (Dec. 11) and Sunday afternoon (Dec. 13).