The Grand Valley State women's basketball team earned an impressive 77-63 victory over host school Bellarmine in the final game of the Bellarmine University Thanksgiving Classic. The Lakers had four different players score in double-digits on the day, including Korynn Hincka, who picked up her first double-double of the season after pulling down 13 rebounds and pouring in 10 points. The victory pushes the Lakers to 5-1 on the season on their final weekend of non-conference play, as they are set to start the GLIAC portion of their schedule next weekend (Nov. 30 – Dec. 2).
 
GVSU completely turned things around from yesterday's struggles offensively, as the Lakers were able to score 77 points on 29-50 shooting (58.0%), including hitting 12 of their 24 three-point attempts. Their 58.0% from the field is the highest mark they have put up this season, while their 12 made three's are also a team-best. The Lakers were also stingy on defense, as they picked up 10 steals and two blocks while forcing the Knights into 15 total turnovers.
 
Maddie Dailey had her best offensive game this season, as the sophomore poured in a team-high 16 points. Dailey was lights out this afternoon, hitting six of her seven shots, including going 4-5 from beyond the arc and also pulled down two rebounds to boot. Junior Taylor Parmley and Victoria Hedemark also had impressive offensive performances, as the pair picked up 14 and 12 points, respectively. Parmley was 6-8 from the field and 2-2 from the charity stripe and also pulled down seven rebounds. Hedemark also had her best game of the season – and her career – this afternoon, as her 12 points and two steals were both career-highs.
 
Senior center Korynn Hincka also had a career day, as she tallied her first double-double in a Laker uniform. Hicka pulled down a team – and game – high 13 rebounds to go along with her 10 points. Hincka has knocked on the door of a double-double a few times this season but today was the first time she was able to accomplish the feat.
 
Parmley got the scoring started for the teams in the first 30 seconds of play after completing an old fashioned three-point play. A jumper from the Knights a few minutes later cut the lead to just one but Parmley answered with another jumper before the teams traded points to a 7-4 score. A layup from Bellarmine at the 7:06 mark would be the last points either team would score for almost three whole minutes before Hedemark broke the drought with a three with 4:31 left to play to give GVSU a 10-4 lead. Both teams would once again go quiet for a few minutes until a Natalie Koenig three-pointer was followed up with a Cassidy Boensch layup to break open a 15-4 Laker lead. The Knights managed to make a couple of shots and another jumper from Parmley with four seconds left would be the final bucket of the first quarter and give the Lakers a comfortable 17-8 lead.
 
The Knights quickly found a rhythm in the first minutes of the second quarter, outscoring the Lakers 10-4 in the first four and a half minutes of play. With GVSU's lead dwindling to just three (21-18) Hedemark and Hincka hit two clutch back-to-back three's to push their lead to 27-18 with just over four minutes left to play. A few buckets from the Knights and a few misses from the Lakers once again shrunk the Laker lead to just three points, 28-25, with 1:15 left to play in the half. A layup from Anja Smith with just under a minute to play pushed the GVSU lead to 30-25 and would be the final shot to go in before halftime.
 
The Lakers came out hot in the second half, outscoring Bellarmine 10-4, to push their lead to double-digits at 40-29. A layup from Parmley a few minutes later was quickly answered with a Knight three-pointer but Hedemark answered right back with a triple of her own to give GVSU a 45-32 lead at the 6:27 mark in the third. A steal from Hincka set up a couple of freebies for Koenig, who drilled both, to take a 47-35 lead. GVSU closed out the final four and a half minutes with three triples, including two from Dailey and one from Hedemark, that were scattered around a Jenn DeBoer layup, to give GVSU a 60-44 lead heading into the final quarter.
 
The Knights made a small push in the opening minutes of the fourth quarter, cutting the Laker lead to 60-49, but that would be the closest they would get. A good three from Megan Belke opened up a 19-point lead for the Lakers at the 4:31 mark, 70-51. GVSU would then head into cruise control and eventually take the 77-63 lead with 39 seconds left and ride it out to a victory on the road.
 
The Lakers will now enter GLIAC play as they are set to square off against the Warriors of Wayne State on the road later this week in a Thursday night matchup (Nov. 30 – 5:30PM). The Lakers will then make the short trip over to Davenport in Grand Rapids on Saturday for a 1:00 PM matchup with the GLIAC newcomer.