at Ferris State (8:00 p.m.): Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes
 
The Grand Valley State men's basketball team takes on West Michigan rival Ferris State on Monday night in an important GLIAC matchup in Big Rapids. GVSU and the #25 Bulldogs will tip off at 8:00 p.m. inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena in the first of two regular season meetings between the schools.
 
There are links above to listen to the radio broadcast of the game or to follow along with the live stats. Monday's game will be aired on WTKG-AM 1230 and WMUS 107.9 FM, with fifth year play-by-play announcer DJ Foster calling the action.
 
Monday's matchup is one between two of the top six teams in the GLIAC standings. Grand Valley State is tied for sixth place in the conference with an 8-6 league record, while the Lakers are 14-6 overall. Ferris State sits in a three-way tie for third place at 10-4 in GLIAC action; the Bulldogs are 16-4 on the season.
 
The Lakers are looking to snap a two-game losing streak. GVSU fell at conference leader Saginaw Valley State 66-56 on Thursday night before dropping a 76-63 final at home to Hillsdale on Saturday. Prior to the two losses, Grand Valley State had won nine of its previous 11 games, including a 5-1 road record during that span.
 
On Saturday, Hillsdale shot 12-of-27 from three-point range, while the Lakers shot just 33.3 percent from the field in the loss. Both teams reached the charity stripe often, as GVSU went 21-for-28 and Hillsdale was 18-of-24 at the free throw line. Hillsdale led by as many as 14 points in the first half before Grand Valley State rallied to cut the score to 37-35 at halftime.
 
The Lakers eventually took a brief 43-39 advantage until Hillsdale scored the game's next 13 points and held the lead the rest of the afternoon. Three GVSU players reach double-digits, including juniors Luke Ryskamp and Trevin Alexander with team-highs of 14 points apiece. Ryskamp added seven rebounds, two assists, two steals, and two blocks, while Alexander went 6-for-11 from the field. Senior Aaron Hayes was 10-for-12 at the free throw line and scored a dozen points.
 
Ferris State began the season with a 7-0 record and has went 9-4 since that undefeated start. The Bulldogs are 7-2 at home after a 74-72 loss in Big Rapids to Saginaw Valley State on Saturday afternoon. SVSU went 29-for-40 at the free throw line in the win, while Ferris State was just 12-of-20. That loss snapped FSU's five-game winning streak.
 
The Bulldogs also lost at home to Ashland 57-51 on Dec. 5, though the game was technically played at a neutral site: Big Rapids High School. FSU notched a pair of three-point victories on Jan. 2-3 over Findlay and Wayne State before sweeping the Upper Peninsula schools on Jan. 14 (Michigan Tech, 93-61) and Jan. 16 (Northern Michigan (96-79).
 
Ferris State won both meetings in the rivalry with GVSU last season, after the Lakers won the two matchups in 2013-14. That included a 74-73 overtime victory on Feb. 27, 2014, which is the last Laker victory in Big Rapids.
 
Statistically, Ferris State leads the GLIAC in a number of categories: field goals per game (30.1), field goal percentage (47.8), total rebounds per game (41.6), defensive boards per game (28.8), assists per game (18.0), and blocks per game (8.5). The Bulldogs are also second in the league in scoring (81.1), rebounding margin (5.4), and opponents field goal percentage (40.0).
 
FSU is 14th in the league (out of 16 teams) in three-point percentage (32.9) and last in free throw percentage (61.9), while turning the ball over 12.3 times per game, seventh-most in the conference.
 
Senior center Jared Stolicker leads the Bulldogs in scoring (16.4) and rebounding (10.2), while shooting 65.4 percent from the field. He is the GLIAC leader with 55 blocked shots, as well as defensive rebounds, total rebounds, and rebounds per game. Senior forwards James Chappell and Josh Fleming are averaging 12.9 and 12.5 points, respectively.

Grand Valley State will host the Bulldogs in the regular season finale on Feb. 25 in Allendale at 8:00 p.m.
 
The Lakers will continue their three-game road trip this weekend (Feb. 4-6) in the Upper Peninsula. GVSU takes on Northern Michigan at 8:00 p.m. on Thursday night before a 2:00 p.m. tipoff against Michigan Tech on Saturday afternoon.