vs. Ferris State (Thursday, 6:00 p.m.): Watch | Listen | Live Stats | Game Notes

ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State women's basketball team will play it's last regular season game on Thursday, when it hosts the Bulldogs of Ferris State (5-22, 5-16 GLIAC) at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena for a 6:00 p.m tip-off. The Lakers (19-8, 14-7 GLIAC) are searching for their 20^th win of the season, and may find it against a Ferris State team that has dropped two games in a row and six of the last seven.
 
There are links above to watch the online webcast or listen to the radio broadcast of the game, as well as links to follow the live stats. The game will be aired on WTKG-AM 1230, with fifth year play-by-play announcer DJ Foster calling the action. Additionally, three Laker seniors, Jill Steinmetz, Jammie Botruff and Brionna Barnett, will be honored for Senior Day. It is also a White Out, as fans are encouraged to show their Laker support by wearing white and also by using the hashtag #BEATFERRIS on social media.
 
If the Lakers can defeat the Bulldogs, it will give them 20 wins for the second consecutive season, which would be the fourth time in program history that GVSU has had back to back 20+ win seasons. The win would also give the GVSU women's basketball program it's 16^th season in program history with at least 20 wins, and it's first in as many tries for head coach Mike Williams.
 
Grand Valley State has the edge in head to head matchups with Ferris State this season, having traveled to Big Rapids and scoring their second best point total of the season in a 97-60 drubbing of the Bulldogs on February 1^st. Ferris State will be looking for it's first win in Allendale since the last game of the 2011-12 season, a 46-44 Ferris victory.
 
GVSU enters the matchup having split last week's games. In Thursday's pivotal matchup with Saginaw Valley, the Lakers got 20 points from Bailey Cairnduff and 16 from Kayla Dawson, but dropped the contest 75-71. The loss at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena was just the second home loss of the season for the Lakers, and the first since a Dec. 3^rd loss to #13 Ashland. Grand Valley rebounded on Saturday, staving off Hillsdale College 71-65 to get a road win. Grand Valley faces a must-win game against Ferris State on Thursday to keep the team's tournament hopes alive.
 
Playing at home has been a boon all season for Grand Valley, as prior to Thursday's loss to SVSU the Lakers had been allowing just 47.6 points per game at home, outscoring their opponents there by 28 points a game. Even still, Grand Valley is 11-2 this season, and allows just under 50 points a game to opponents at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. Opponents are connecting on just 34 percent of shots from the field, and just 26 percent from beyond the arc, while the Lakers have converted on 44 percent from the field, and 39 percent from the arc in those games.
 
An area where the Lakers have struggled as of late has been team rebounding, as Grand Valley has been outrebounded in four of it's last five contests. Even while the Lakers managed to outrebound their next four opponents after the injury to leading rebounder Korynn Hincka, in the five games since, the Lakers have managed to outrebound just one opponent, a weakness that allowed SVSU to outrebound GVSU 40-28, and scored 11 second chance points as a result. The Lakers have dropped three of those five most recent games to fall behind Saginaw Valley and Michigan Tech at the top of the GLIAC North.
 
To close out the regular season with good momentum for the GLIAC tournament, the Lakers will no doubt try and re-create the terrific shooting they had against Ferris State in the first matchup, when they shot 56.5 percent (35-62) from the field and 51.7 percent (15-29) from deep. In that game, Piper Tucker and Kayla Dawson led the way with 26 and 24 points, respectively, but were just two of five Lakers to reach double figures.
 
GVSU is locked in as the #6 in the upcoming GLIAC Tournament, but will travel for the first round matchup against a yet to be determined opponent, making Thursday the last game for the three Laker seniors in GVSU Fieldhouse Arena