vs. Grace Bible (Monday, 7:00 p.m.)
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Grand Valley State will be playing its third home game in six days, as the Lakers welcome Grace Bible to Allendale for a 7:00 p.m. tipoff against the Tigers on Monday night (Nov. 21). GVSU has defeated Great Lakes Christian and Trinity Christian inside the Fieldhouse Arena in the last five days and the Lakers are looking to move above .500 for the first time this season.
 
With a pair of home wins last week, Grand Valley State is 2-2 on the season. Both of those wins - a 91-36 victory over Great Lakes Christian last Wednesday (Nov. 16) and an 85-48 win over Trinity Christian on Friday (Nov. 18) - came on the Lakers' home floor in Allendale.
 
Grace Bible is 5-3 on the season and split a pair of games at the Optimist KCCCF Cancer Tournament in Winona Lake, Ind. over the weekend. In two high-scoring contests, the Tigers fell to Grace College (Ind.) in a 113-90 track meet on Friday before bouncing back to top Lincoln Christian 98-66 on Saturday afternoon (Nov. 19). After facing GVSU on Monday night, Grace Bible will travel to take on another GLIAC opponent - Saginaw Valley State - on Tuesday night at SVSU.
 
In the Lakers' most recent win against Trinity Christian, Grand Valley State trailed 31-25 at halftime. GVSU was able to quickly tie the score against the Trolls in the second half and the game was tied at 39-39 with 15:16 remaining. From that point, the Lakers posted a stunning 28-0 run that turned that 39-all deadlock into a 67-39 GVSU advantage in just eight minutes.
 
Four Lakers reached double-digits in the scoring column, as seniors Luke Ryskamp (15 points, 7-of-12 from the field) and Trevin Alexander (10 points, 10 rebounds) led the way. Junior center Drake Baar made the most of his first career start, totaling 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting, while adding four boards and three blocked shots. Transfer guard Danzel Wright - in his first appearance in a Laker uniform - notched 14 points, three rebounds, and three assists in only 14 minutes.
 
After shooting a perfect 4-for-4 from three-point range against Great Lakes Christian, sophomore guard Zach West was 3-for-5 from downtown against Trinity Christian, notching nine points and seven rebounds. Junior guard Myles Miller tallied seven points, four boards, and four assists, while senior Juwan Starks added seven points, five rebounds, three assists, three steals, and a block.
 
Wright's 14.0 points per game - albeit in just one contest - leads the Lakers, while Alexander is nearly posting a double-double (10.5 points, 9.5 rebounds per game). Ryskamp is averaging an even 10.0 points per game, while West is 8-of-12 from three-point range on the year.
 
Grace Bible has three players averaging double figures, as senior guard Jared Bradford is putting up 17.0 points per game to go with a team-high 26 assists. He is 26-of-28 at the free throw line. Sophomore forward Austin Jackson is averaging 15.0 points and 5.8 rebounds per game, while shooting 51.5 percent from the field. Junior forward Bernard Smith leads the Tigers with 10.7 rebounds per game and is averaging a double-double with 10.2 points per game. Smith shoots it at a 59.5 percent clip from the floor.
 
Monday's game will conclude the Lakers' three-game homestand. GVSU will head to Rensselaer, Ind. for the Saint Joseph's Thanksgiving Tournament this weekend (Nov. 25-26) where the Lakers will face Upper Iowa on Friday night. Grand Valley State will take on either Salem International or the host school Saint Joseph's on Saturday evening.