Allendale, Mich. -- Aside from a rocky five-minute stretch at the end of the first half, the Grand Valley State men's basketball team controlled every bit of its wire-to-wire victory—its fifth of the season, and third at the Fieldhouse Arena—over Hillsdale. The Lakers led by as many as 18 points and committed a season-low six turnovers in a 77-59 home win, keeping their GLIAC Tournament hopes alive heading into next week's regular season finale.
 
It may have been senior night in Allendale, but sophomore guard Luke Ryskamp ruled the day with a team-high 19 points. The Schoolcraft, Michigan native knocked down 6-of-12 attempts from the field, nabbed seven rebounds and dished out two assists. A pair of steals rounded out his well-balanced stat line.
 
For the third time in as many games, junior guard Aaron Hayes was stellar, tallying 17 points on 5-of-9 shooting. The Oakland Community College transfer is averaging 15.3 points in GVSU's last three games.
 
In the final home game of his collegiate career, senior guard Ryan Sabin poured in 12 points and hand out two assists. Fellow senior Darren Washington added six points and three boards.
 
Junior center Trevin Alexander stole the show as well. The Benton Harbor, Michigan product posted his third double-double of the season, notching 11 points—he was 2-of-3 from the floor and 7-of-8 from the charity stripe—and collecting 10 boards.
 
An outstanding rebounding night helped the Lakers separate themselves from the Chargers, who came into the night as the GLIAC's top team in terms of rebounding margin. GVSU came up with 10 offensive boards, turning them into 15 second-chance points. Overall, the Lakers outrebounded Hillsdale 33-26.
 
 GVSU started relatively slow, before Hayes started to heat up. With the Lakers up by three at the 14:24 mark, Hayes scored their next nine points to make it a seven-point affair. Ryskamp punctuated the run with a triple, giving GVSU a 22-12 edge.
 
Then Hillsdale made its charge. It outscored the Lakers 13-4 to end the half, heading to the locker room down by just two.
 
Momentum completely shifted after halftime. GVSU opened the second stanza on a 17-7 run, building its lead to 12 points (52-40) by the 12:03 mark. The lead would balloon to 15 with roughly nine minutes to play, and to 18 in the closing minute, as Hillsdale continued sending the Lakers to the charity stripe.
 
The win, GVSU's third in a row, lifts its overall record to 13-14. It also brings the Lakers' league record to 9-12, keeping them in a tie for 10^th place with Malone, just one game behind Hillsdale and Northwood for the final spot in the GLIAC Tournament.
 
The Lakers will close out their 2014-15 regular season next Thursday (Feb. 26) at Ferris State. Tip off in Big Rapids, Michigan is set for 8 p.m. ET.