vs. Tiffin (3-5, 1-3 GLIAC)
Saturday, 1:00 p.m.
Radio: WTKG 1230 AM
Listen | Watch
Live Stats | Game Notes
 
vs. Ashland (11-0, 4-0 GLIAC)
Monday, 5:00 p.m.
Radio: WTKG 1230 AM
Listen | Watch
Live Stats | Game Notes

ALLENDALE, Mich.—Returning to the friendly confines of GVSU Fieldhouse Arena this weekend is the Grand Valley State women's basketball team, which sports the #22 ranking in the latest WBCA Coaches Poll and a 7-2 overall record. GVSU will face off against 3-5 Tiffin University on Saturday at 1:00 p.m., before facing the top-ranked and undefeated Ashland University Eagles (11-0) on Monday night at 5:00 p.m.
 
Both of the upcoming games will be aired on WKTG 1230. Sixth-year play-by-play voice DJ Foster will call all the action this weekend for the Lakers. Fans can watch, listen, or follow along to the games through the links at the top of this page.
 
The Lakers split last weekend's road contests, dropping a 54-47 dud at Hillsdale on Friday before rallying to defeat Walsh by a 59-51 score on Saturday in overtime. Friday's loss was just the second of the 2016 campaign for Grand Valley State, and was an underwhelming result in a game in which the team did not play up to its potential. Saturday's comeback victory was a big win for the Lakers, as it kept them in a three-way tie atop the GLIAC North Division with Michigan Tech and Saginaw Valley State.
 
After a pair of GLIAC victories at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena to open conference play a week before, the Lakers offense struggled mightily on the road trip, shooting just 32.1 percent (36-112) from the field and a dismal 21.6 percent (11-51) from beyond the arc. Additionally, GVSU was bullied on the boards in the loss to Hillsdale (53-35) and couldn't get out of their own way against Walsh two days later, committing a season high 22 turnovers.
 
The weekend's opponents offer two very different matchups for GVSU. Saturday's matinee with Tiffin will pit the 3-5 Dragons, losers in four of their last five, against the GLIAC's top scoring defense, the lone bright spot displayed by the team last weekend. Grand Valley State is holding opponents to just 53.6 points a game on 37.9 percent shooting from the field. Only two opponents have scored 70 or more points on the Lakers this season, and five of their nine opponents have scored under 50. Returning a defense that has improved from last season's solid marks has covered up some of the offensive shortcomings for the Lakers in the 2016-17 campaign.
 
Tiffin comes into the matchup with an offense that has been solidly average this season, sitting at seventh in the conference in scoring (67.9) and owning a 40.7/35.9/75.6 (FG/3-Pt/FT) slash line this season. Led by sophomore guard Allie Miller and her 10.6 points per game and paced by senior center Bre Nauman and her 10.3 points and a team-high 5.6 rebounds per contest, the Dragons have balanced scoring  throughout their starting five. After opening GLIAC play with a pair of losses at Northwood and Lake Superior State, the Dragons outlasted Wayne State in overtime to earn their first conference win on Friday, before dropping a 100-72 decision to Saginaw Valley State in their most recent action.
 
Monday night's matchup will be anything but cushy, as the Lakers will host top-ranked and undefeated Ashland into GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Eagles have picked up right where they left off last season, dominating the GLIAC South Division and taking their game to the next level. The Eagles boast the top scoring offense in Division II at 97.5 points per game, and have not scored less than 85 points in any game this season. That offense will be tested against the Lakers defense, which is 14^th in scoring defense in Division II at 53.6 points per game. No opponent has been able to slow down the Eagles this season, as they boast gaudy shooting percentages of 51.8/39.2/74.8, and have hung 100+ points on three opponents through the first 11 games of the season.
 
Led by the play of junior F/C Laina Snyder and forward Andi Daugherty, the Eagles are as efficient and deep as they come, with six players scoring double-digits points per contest. Additionally, the Eagles are adept as passing the ball around to find good scoring looks, as six players are averaging two or more assists per game as well. Seemingly without a weakness, the Eagles are +195 in rebounding, -123 in turnover margin, +100 in steals and +35 in blocks over opponents this season, and have been dominant on both sides of the floor in every game.
 
While entering the weekend's games without the gaudy statistics of their Monday opponent, the Lakers have put together a solid start to the season even as they have struggled to gel as a team. With much of last season's Final Four squad returning to the team this season, the Lakers are capable of playing at a very high level, one that has not yet emerged this season but is possible for this team to unlock. GVSU has struggled mightily with their shooting, both from the field (40 percent) and moreso from beyond the arc, as they have converted on just 29 percent of attempts from deep after shattering the program record for three-pointers made last season.
 
Bailey Cairnduff has been consistent as of late for the Lakers, averaging 11.9 points and leading the team with 20 triples. Classmate and 2015-16 leading scorer Kayla Dawson has shaken off a slow start to the season and has settled into an 11.2 point average to go along with 4.9 rebounds and two steals per game. Janae Langs and Piper Tucker are just outside double-digit points as well, notching 9.8 and 8.8 per game, respectively.
 
Grand Valley State is 4-1 at home this season, with the lone loss coming at the hands of Truman State on November 13^th. Of the four Laker victories at home, three of them featured opposing teams scoring less than 50 points.