Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. -- Even though it spent over 25 minutes without the lead, the Grand Valley State women's basketball team rallied and came away with a 67-57 win at Lake Superior State. The Lakers shot 42.9 percent from the field, and made four of their final five field goal attempts, outrebounded LSSU 31-29 and went 13-of-15 at the free throw line to emerge from Sault Ste. Marie victorious.
For the fourth time this season, and third since Jan. 24, junior guard
Brionna Barnett finished with at least 20 points. The Elkhart, Indiana native dropped a game-high 20 points on 7-of-13 shooting. She was also one of four Lakers to finish the game with two or more assists.
Sophomore forward
Piper Tucker scored 15 points, collected eight boards and handed out a team-high three assists. Most of Tucker's damage came from beyond the arc, where she went 3-of-5.
Five of sophomore forward
Kayla Dawson's nine points came at the most crucial juncture of the game. With GVSU clinging to a three-point lead, she sank a triple—only her 15
th of the season—to make it a six-point affair with less than four minutes to play. Her layup on the Lakers' next possession countered an LSSU three, giving them enough breathing room to close out the win.
A three-point play by Barnett at the 2:03 mark, exactly 72 seconds after Dawson's layup, gave GVSU a eight-point edge.
In addition to her five points, sophomore guard
Taylor Lutz nabbed a career-high three steals. She snared four boards as well.
GVSU scored the first basket of the game just 22 seconds in, but LSSU set the pace for the next 16-plus minutes. The Lakers closed the opening half on an 11-3 run to take a 34-29 advantage into the locker room.
Another slow start forced GVSU to rally once again. The Lakers proved to be up to the task, rallying near the midway point of the second stanza to score another crucial GLIAC victory.
GVSU now holds a 16-6 overall record and a 13-5 mark in conference play, and guaranteed itself a spot in the GLIAC Tournament. It also improved to 16-0 this season when leading at the half. The Lakers' road record rose to 5-5.
Coupled with Ashland's loss to Findlay, GVSU is tied for the third-best record in the GLIAC.
GVSU will look to hold onto its current position in the league standings against Northwood on Saturday night. Tip off at the Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale is scheduled for 6 p.m. ET.
