Strong early shooting and a big late-game run pushed Hillsdale past Grand Valley State on Saturday afternoon (Jan. 30) inside the Fieldhouse Arena, with the Chargers topping GVSU 76-63. After leading by a pair at halftime, Hillsdale outscored the Lakers 39-28 over the final 20 minutes to close out the road victory.

Saturday's contest is the only home game for GVSU in a current five-game stretch, as the Lakers play at Ferris State, Northern Michigan, and Michigan Tech in a six-day span. On Monday night (Feb. 1), Grand Valley State heads to Ferris State for an 8:00 p.m. showdown with the Bulldogs.

The result of Saturday's game puts GVSU and Hillsdale in a tie in the GLIAC standings, with both teams owning 8-6 records. The teams are now tied for sixth place in the conference standings. Grand Valley State is 14-6 overall, while Hillsdale is 12-6 on the year.

Five Chargers reached double-digits - including four starters - while three Lakers notched double figures in the scoring column. A pair of juniors - guard Luke Ryskamp and forward Trevin Alexander - both scored 14 points for GVSU, while senior Aaron Hayes made 10-of-12 free throws and scored a dozen points.

Ryskamp finished with 14 points, seven rebounds, two assists, two blocks, and a pair of steals, while Alexander made 6-of-11 shots and scored 14 points and added four boards.

Hillsdale, one of the better shooting teams in the GLIAC, showed why in the early part of the first half. The Chargers drained five triples in the first six minutes - by five different players - and two more over the next three minutes to take a 23-9 advantage. GVSU began to chip away at the 14-point deficit, getting three points from senior Chaz Rollins, a jumper from Alexander, and an old-fashioned three-point play from Rollins. With 5:15 to play, the Lakers got the deficit down to 32-24. 

Hayes knocked down a pair of free throws and freshman Zach West buried a three-pointer to put GVSU within five points with three minutes remaining. The Lakers scored the final six points of the first half, with senior Ricardo Carbajal and Hayes each hitting two freebies and Alexander converting a layup.

After trailing by 14 points on four different occasions in the first half, Grand Valley State got back within two at 37-35 at halftime. Hillsdale shot 44 percent from the field and made 7-of-15 three-pointers, while GVSU hit on 39 percent of its attempts, but also made 11-of-14 free throws.

Alexander scored on another layup and Ryskamp tipped in his own missed shot with 15:40 to go, as Grand Valley State took its first lead of the game at 41-39. A minute later, Alexander drained a jumper and the Lakers had their biggest lead of the game at 43-39.

Hillsdale responded by scoring the next 13 points in a four-minute span to take a 52-43 advantage. Ryskamp nailed a three-pointer and scored on a fast break layup to make the score 56-50 with 8:52 remaining. That is as close as GVSU would get, as the Chargers took a double-digit lead with 4:31 to play and would hold a similar advantage the rest of the game.

Overall, the Chargers shot 43 percent from the field and went 12-for-27 from three-point range, while Grand Valley State hit 33 percent of its attempts and went just 4-of-18 from downtown. The teams were pretty even at the free throw line, with GVSU making 21-of-28 attempts and Hillsdale knocked down 18-of-24 attempts.

The Lakers won the rebounding battle 38-33 and committed 17 turnovers to Hillsdale's 15 miscues.

Preseason GLIAC Player of the Year Kyle Cooper led five Chargers in double figures with 15 points and seven boards, while center Jason Pretzer and guard Stedman Lowry added 14 points apiece.