Postgame Press Conference

The Grand Valley State women's basketball team used a couple of clutch offensive possessions and sterling defense throughout Tuesday night's (Mar. 22) NCAA Elite Eight game in Sioux Falls, South Dakota, as the Lakers prevailed with a thrilling 59-56 victory over #19 Pittsburg State. GVSU allowed the Gorillas to score just five points over the final 5:09 of the game, sending the Lakers to the second NCAA Final Four in school history.

In a terrific national quarterfinal game, Grand Valley State and Pittsburg State played an extremely close contest, with 11 lead changes and eight tie scores. Each team's biggest lead was six points, both of which came in the first half. The score was tied for the eighth and final time at 53-53, but GVSU scored six of the game's final nine points to prevail and advance to Wednesday night's Final Four.

Now 26-9 on the year, Grand Valley State will face #4 Alaska Anchorage (37-2) on Wednesday night in the second semifinal game at 9:30 p.m. ET. The Lakers' 26 victories are the third-most in school history. Pittsburg State - champions of the Central Region - sees its season end with a 29-6 overall record.

The Gorillas tied the game at 53-53 with 2:56 remaining before junior guard Taylor Lutz quickly answered 18 seconds later with a short jumper in the paint to give the Lakers a 55-53 advantage. Just over a minute later, with 1:36 to play, Pittsburg State First Team All-MIAA guard Mikaela Burgess drained her third three-pointer of the game, putting the Gorillas back out in front, 56-55. It would be the final points of the game for Pittsburg State and marked the team's lowest scoring output of the entire season.

With 1:09 remaining, junior guard Bailey Cairnduff drove along the baseline and into the paint for a tough layup that gave GVSU a 57-56 lead it would not relinquish. On the ensuing possession, Burgess was called for an offensive foul as she charged over junior guard Janae Langs with 53 seconds to play.

The Lakers could not convert on the other end, giving the ball back to PSU with 36 ticks remaining. Burgess was double-teamed by Lutz and redshirt freshman forward Taylor Parmley and she lost the ball near midcourt. Parmley scooped it up and raced down the floor, where she missed the initial layup, but grabbed the rebound and was fouled with 16 seconds to go.

After struggling at the free throw line in the first half (going 4-for-9), Parmley made all four of her free throw tries in the second half, including the two freebies with 16 seconds left. Coming out of the timeout, Cathy Brugman - the Central Region Tournament Most Outstanding Player - misfired on a three-pointer and Langs grabbed the rebound with six seconds to play. Langs was able to dribble out the clock, as the Gorillas were unable to foul, and GVSU erupted into celebration of another tight postseason victory.

Grand Valley State's four NCAA Tournament victories are by two, seven, two, and three points.

Parmley led all players with game-highs of 19 points and 11 rebounds, the latter of which are a new career-high. It is her first career double-double in a Laker uniform. She finished 8-of-13 at the line and grabbed four of GVSU's 10 offensive rebounds. The Lakers outrebounded Pittsburg State 42-32, including nine rebounds from junior forward Piper Tucker, who added nine points. Langs supplied nine points and five boards, with all but one rebound coming in the second half.

Cairnduff notched eight points (2-for-4 three-pointers) and four rebounds, while battling first half foul trouble. Lutz finished with seven points, five rebounds, and two assists, while limiting Burgess (PSU's leading scorer on the year) to just 13 points, five below her season average. Lutz and the Laker defense combined to keep Burgess scoreless in the first half on 0-for-4 shooting.

For the game, GVSU shot 43.1 percent from the field and made 5-of-17 three-pointers, while connecting on 10-of-18 free throws. Pittsburg State was held to just 34.5 percent shooting and 7-of-25 three-point tries. Entering the game, the Gorillas had made more free throws than Grand Valley State even attempted; on Tuesday, PSU was 9-for-11 at the stripe.

The score was tied at 10-10 in the first quarter when the Lakers put together a 6-0 run on a Tucker jumper, a Parmley bucket, and a Parmley layup. That six-point advantage was GVSU's largest lead of the game, but Pittsburg State responded with the final five points of the quarter. After the opening 10 minutes, the Lakers led 16-15.

From there, Pittsburg State continued its strong surge, turning a 16-10 deficit into a 24-18 advantage, capping the 14-2 run and giving the Gorillas their largest lead. Parmley answered with her sixth three-pointer of the season and Tucker scored on a layup to cut the PSU lead to 24-23. Two Parmley free throws put GVSU back on top, 25-24. The teams would trade leads the rest of the half until Tucker drained a three-pointer right before the halftime buzzer, sending the Lakers into the halftime locker room with a 33-30 advantage.

Grand Valley State led the entire third quarter, holding anywhere from a three to a six-point cushion, as Langs and Lutz each notched five points in the quarter. Langs hit a late three-pointer and Lutz scored on a layup to help the Lakers take a 47-43 lead into the fourth frame and setting up the late-game heroics GVSU has been used to receiving during this incredible postseason run.

Burgess led Pittsburg State in scoring with 13 points, all coming in the second half. Brugman went just 3-of-12 from the field and scored 12 points with five rebounds. Guard Paige Lungwitz was the third Gorilla in double-digits, with 11 points and six boards. Center Kylie Gafford - the MIAA Defensive Player of the Year - had three first-half fouls and scored just four points in 24 minutes.

The Lakers have now defeated #6 Lewis, #14 Drury, and #19 Pittsburg State in the last 11 days, with those winning tallies coming by two, two, and three points. GVSU is also 6-0 in neutral site games this season.

Grand Valley State and Alaska Anchorage have never played before, similar to how GVSU and Pittsburg State had not met on the court before Tuesday night's semifinal contest. The Lakers' only other Final Four appearance was in 2005-06, when GVSU won the Division II National Championship.