Senior guard Juwan Starks scored the final four points on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 11) - including the go-ahead three-pointer from the right corner with 1:04 remaining - to help Grand Valley State take down Lake Superior State in a tight 71-69 contest in Allendale. The game featured 11 lead changes and five tie scores and when the final LSSU three-pointer fell short, Starks grabbed the rebound and GVSU escaped with the thrilling two-point victory.

The teams were separated by one game in the GLIAC standings entering Saturday's contest, as Grand Valley State now moves to 11-7 in conference play and a tie with Lake Superior State. GVSU is 15-10 overall, while LSSU is 14-8 on the year.

After combining for 52 points in Thursday's win over Northwood, Starks and fellow senior guard Luke Ryskamp totaled 40 points on Saturday. Ryskamp poured in a game-high 23 points and was 5-of-8 from three-point range, scoring 11 points in the first half and a dozen in the final 20 minutes. Starks' final statline showed 17 points, seven rebounds, four assists, four steals, and a blocked shot. He also scored GVSU's final six points of the game, including four clutch points in the last 64 seconds.

It was 67-63 in Grand Valley State's favor with 3:49 to play after a Ryskamp three-pointer and a Starks jumper. However, GVSU turned it over on three consecutive possessions, allowing Lake Superior State to tie the score at 67-67 with 2:30 to go.

The teams traded missed shots and LSSU's Akaemji Williams hit a pair of free throws with 1:16 remaining to put the visiting Lakers ahead, 69-67. On the next possession, junior Myles Miller threw a perfect baseline pass to Starks in the right corner and he rose up and rattled in the go-ahead three-pointer with 1:04 to go. At that point, GVSU was ahead 70-69.

Lake Superior State responded with a missed three-pointer and Starks was fouled on the other end by Williams as he attempted a three-pointer. Starks missed the first two free throws, but knocked down the third to give GVSU a 71-69 edge with 8.4 seconds to play. Williams misfired on a potential game-winning three-pointer, with Starks gathering the rebound and clinching the win.

For the game, Grand Valley State shot 44.3 percent from the field and 9-of-19 from three-point range. The home Lakers owned a 39-28 rebounding advantage, including a dozen offensive boards and a 14-4 edge in second chance points. Lake Superior State shot just 7-of-35 from beyond the arc (20.0 percent) and 43.6 percent overall. 

The opening half was a back and forth affair, as Lake Superior State led by as many as 11 points and GVSU owned a five-point advantage. Trailing 8-3, Grand Valley State rattled off a 10-0 run with a layup and trifecta from Ryskamp, a Starks three-pointer, and a tip-in from sophomore Justin Greason to make it 13-8. LSSU responded with 10 straight points of their own to open an 18-13 advantage before Ryskamp buried another triple and junior Drake Baar tied the score with a layup at the 10:43 mark. 

A 12-2 Lake Superior State run pushed the visiting Lakers in front 33-22, but a jumper from freshman Ben Lubitz, a Starks trifecta, and a driving layup from Miller right before the buzzer had the halftime score at 37-34 in LSSU's favor.

Seven straight points - including five from Baar - carried GVSU to a 47-39 advantage at the 14-minute mark of the second half. Lake Superior State chipped away at the deficit and took a 59-57 lead with 7:24 to go on a three-pointer from Jordan Dasuqi. The lead would change hands seven more times in the final seven minutes, with Ryskamp burying a pair of big three-pointers and Starks hitting the go-ahead three-ball with nearly a minute to go.

Greason finished 5-of-8 from the field and scored 12 points to go with four rebounds, while Baar added seven points and seven boards. Sophomore Zach West was the third Laker with seven rebounds and he tallied six points and three steals. 

With his 23 points, Ryskamp moves into 19th place all-time in GVSU history in scoring with 1,273 career points. He passed former Laker Chris Raven, who scored 1,268 points from 1975-79. Next on the list is Ron Polus, who scored 1,300 points from 1981-85.

The 1,729 fans was the third-largest crowd at a Laker home game this season. Grand Valley State is home two more times next weekend, as the Lakers host Michigan Tech on Thursday night (Feb. 16) and Northern Michigan on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 18). In a three-way tie with Lake Superior State and Wayne State, GVSU could tie Michigan Tech in the league standings with a win over the Huskies next Thursday night.