vs. Findlay 
Thursday, 6:00 p.m.
Radio: WTKG-AM 1230
Listen | Watch
Live Stats | Game Notes
 
vs. Ohio Dominican
Saturday, 5:00 p.m.
Radio: WTKG-AM 1230
Listen | Watch
Live Stats | Game Notes

ALLENDALE, Mich.— After winning both games of the Puerto Rico Clasico in San Juan, Puerto Rico over the Thanksgiving break, the Grand Valley State women's basketball team returns home this weekend to open GLIAC play with home games against Findlay and Ohio Dominican.
 
Grand Valley State (4-1) will face the Oilers (4-2) on Thursday at 6:00 p.m. at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena, before a Saturday evening matchup with Ohio Dominican (4-2) at 5:00 p.m.
 
Both games will be aired on WTKG-AM 1230, with sixth-year play-by-play voice DJ Foster calling all the action this weekend for the Lakers. Fans can watch or listen to the games through the links at the top of this page.
 
Grand Valley State is riding a three game winning streak into Thursday's matchup, having most recently defeated the Division II defending national champion and 24^th ranked Lubbock Christian (Tx.) 52-45 on Friday, November 25th and the University of Indianapolis 53-47 on Saturday the 26^th. In those games, Bailey Cairnduff averaged 16 points per contest, for which she was named the GLIAC North Division Player of the Week.
 
In holding their last three opponents below 50 points, the Lakers are now allowing just 51.4 points per game to opponents, the 13^th best mark in Division II. Opposing teams are shooting just 36.7 percent from the field and 31 from beyond the arc against the Lakers this season.
 
While led by Cairnduff's 13.5 points per contest, the Lakers have gotten early contributions from guard Janae Langs, who is posting 11.0 points and 5.4 rebounds per contest. In addition, she leads GVSU in total assists, with 17 so far.  The Laker's leading scorer from last season, Kayla Dawson, is scoring below her career average early in the season, but the Lakers are receiving balanced scoring and are currently averaging 68.6 points in each contest.
 
Thursday's opener against Findlay represents the 22^nd matchup in program history between the two teams, with GVSU currently holding a 14-7 advantage over the Oilers. That includes last season's 75-35 rout of Findlay at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. In that game, the Oilers shot just 16.7 percent (3-18) from beyond the arc and 13-54 (24.1 percent) from the field. This season, the Oilers have been hot from deep, leading the GLIAC with a 41 percent (41-100) clip from three-point land, and have made the fourth most triples in the conference this season.
 
Findlay is led this season by sophomore center Christa Puthoff , who notches 12.2 points and  5.8 rebounds per game, and is connecting on 52.5 percent of her shots. Guard Lynsey Englebrecht averages 11.5 points off the bench for the Oilers, including a 47.4 percent  clip from beyond the arc.
 
Saturday's matchup has been pushed back from a 1:00 p.m. start due to the Grand Valley State football playoff game, and thus will feature a 5:00 p.m start. The matchup with the Panthers may very well be decided on the boards, as Ohio Dominican leads the conference in rebounding, hauling down 51.8 rebounds per contest. That amounts to 17 more rebounds than GVSU averages, and in offensive rebounding, the Panthers outpace GVSU yet again, 19-8.6.
 
A pair of seniors, guard Lauren Bates and forward Madi Rittinger, lead ODU with 12.5  and 12.2 points per game, respectively. Through six games, the Panthers are second in the GLIAC in scoring at 79.3 points per game, and are second in total free throws made.