MARQUETTE, Mich.—The Grand Valley State men's basketball team got back in the win column on Saturday afternoon, outpacing the Northern Michigan Wildcats in the second half and emerging with a convincing 79-54 win.  The Lakers did the bulk of their damage (51 points) in the second half (including a game-changing 20-0 run) after carrying just a two-point lead into the halftime break.
 
After a poor shooting performance in Thursday's loss to Michigan Tech, the Lakers rebounded nicely on Saturday, shooting a collective 49.2 percent (29-59) from the field and a torrid 64.7 percent (11-17) from three-point territory. Luke Ryskamp was one of four Lakers to score in double figures, as he led the team with 17 points on 5-9 shooting. Justin Greason (15 points, all in the second half), Ben Lubitz (career-high 13 points) and Trevin Alexander (10 points, 12 rebounds) also ended the game in double-figures.
 
In the first half, the game was marked by close back-and-forth play, with neither team gaining more than a four point lead until the 7:15 mark of the first half, when Northern Michigan capped off a 10-0 run to turn a four point deficit into a six point lead. The Lakers then went on a run of their own, as Zach West hit a jump shot, followed by a Lubitz triple and three Ryskamp free throws to turn the deficit into a two-point lead of their own. After a Wildcat layup tied the game up, Lubitz hit a jump shot to close out the half and give Grand Valley State a 28-26 lead at the break.
 
Northern Michigan came out firing to start the second half, opening the frame on a 13-5 run that saw them take a 39-33 lead over GVSU with 17 minutes left to play. The Lakers then began to wittle down the lead, and tied the game at 45-45 on a Juwan Starks 3-pointer with 13:27 left to play. That would be the last tie in the game, as the Laker offense awoke for a 16-0 run over the next seven minutes to blow open the game, highlighted by five points from Alexander and six from Greason. A Wildcat jump shot with 5:46 left cut the Laker lead to 14, the closest Northern Michigan would get for the remainder of the game. Northern Michigan would only score nine points for the remainder of the game, while the Lakers continued to pour it on and reached a game-high 28 point lead with two minutes remaining.

Over the final 20 minutes, GVSU shot a sizzling 70.4 percent from the field and 8-for-9 from three-point range. The Lakers held NMU scoreless for more than eight minutes during the pivotal second half run to take control of the contest.
 
With the victory, the Lakers improve to 13-7 overall and 9-4 in the GLIAC, and have bested Northern Michigan in nine straight contests dating back to January 19^th, 2012. Northern Michigan drops to 6-12 (4-9 GLIAC) on the season.
 
Grand Valley State held a strong advantage on the boards in the contest, outrebounding the Wildcats 45-31. The Lakers also held an advantage in second chance points (12-8) and bench points (37-5).
 
Next up for the Lakers is a home tilt against rival Ferris State on Monday at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale, Michigan. Tip-off for that game is set for 8:00 p.m.