vs. Michigan Tech (14-11, 12-6 GLIAC)
Thursday, 8:00 p.m.
International Night
Radio: ESPN 96.1 FM | Listen
Video: ESPN3 | Watch
Live Stats | Game Notes
 
vs. Northern Michigan (7-16, 5-13 GLIAC)
Saturday, 3:00 p.m.
Beach Day
Radio: WTKG-AM 1230 | Listen
Video: ESPN3 | Watch
Live Stats | Game Notes
 
With just two weeks of the regular season remaining for the Grand Valley State men's basketball team, the Lakers finish off their current four-game homestand against a pair of GLIAC North Division opponents. On Thursday (Feb. 16), GVSU battles Michigan Tech in an 8:00 p.m. tipoff, while the Lakers welcome Northern Michigan for a 3:00 p.m. start on Saturday (Feb. 18).
 
The beginning of the Lakers' homestand got off to a great start last weekend, with Grand Valley State defeating both Northwood (94-83) and Lake Superior State (71-69) in Allendale. With the wins, GVSU (15-10 overall) was able to keep pace in the conference standings at 11-7 in league play. The Lakers are tied with Lake Superior State and Wayne State for third place in the North Division standings and fourth place in the overall GLIAC standings.
 
Both of this week's games are being aired live on ESPN3, while fans can listen to the radio broadcasts on the Grand Valley Sports Network, with sixth-year play-by-play voice DJ Foster calling all of the action. Thursday's game against Michigan Tech will be on ESPN 96.1 FM, while Saturday's Northern Michigan broadcast can be found on WTKG-AM 1230. Fans can watch, listen, or follow along to the games through the links at the top of this page.
 
The victories over Northwood and Lake Superior State snapped a three-game losing streak and kept GVSU in contention to host a first round GLIAC Tournament game on Tuesday, Feb. 28. The top four seeds in the eight-team conference tournament will host a quarterfinal game that night; the semifinals and finals will be held at the highest remaining seed on Mar. 4-5.
 
Grand Valley State remains in the thick of things thanks to two big home wins in three days. The Lakers posted a season-high in points in the 94-83 win over Northwood on Thursday night (Feb. 9), as senior guards Luke Ryksamp and Juwan Starks combined for 52 points and 9-of-11 shooting from three-point range. Starks tallied 19 of his career-high (and GVSU season-high) 28 points in the first half of the win; he finished 6-of-7 from three-point range. Ryskamp put up 19 of his season-best 24 points in the second half of that game and sank all nine of his free throw tries.
 
Junior Myles Miller made 6-of-12 field goal attempts and scored 12 points of the bench, while senior Trevin Alexander pulled down 12 rebounds in the win. The Lakers shot an even 50.0 percent from the field and made 9-of-13 triple tries (all from Ryskamp and Starks) and 23-of-31 free throws.
 
Last Saturday (Feb. 11), Grand Valley State overcame an 11-point first half deficit and used clutch shooting to hold off Lake Superior State, 71-69. Starks had a triple try rattle home with 1:04 remaining to put the home Lakers ahead 70-69; he would add a free throw with nine seconds remaining to make it a two-point lead. LSSU (which finished 7-of-35 from three-point range) misfired on a potential go-ahead trifecta and Starks grabbed the rebound to seal the win.
 
Again, it was Ryskamp and Starks who carried the offensive load. Ryskamp finished with a game-best 23 points and made 5-of-8 three-pointers, while Starks added 17 points and career-highs of seven rebounds, four assists, and four steals. Starks game-winning trifecta made him 4-for-6 from beyond the arc. Sophomore center Justin Greason was 5-of-8 from the field and scored 12 points to go with four boards.
 
In the two wins, Starks put up averages of 22.5 points and 6.0 rebounds per game, as he shot 53.8 percent from the field and 10-of-13 from three-point range for a 76.9 percent clip. He was named GLIAC North Division Player of the Week on Monday (Feb. 13). Ryskamp scored 23.5 points per game, shot 45.2 percent from the field, drained all 11 of his free throw tries, and made 8-of-12 three-point attempts.
 
Grand Valley State shot 56.3 percent from three-point range in the wins, making 18-of-32 shots from long range. Northwood and Lake Superior State combined to shoot just 16-of-63 from downtown for a 25.4 percentage.
 
Ryskamp is now up to 14.0 points per game and is 19th all-time in GVSU history in scoring with 1,273 career points. With 60 more points, he'll tie former Laker Jason Bauer for 15th place, as Bauer notched 1,333 points from 1999 to 2003.
 
Alexander is also looking to move up in the record books, as his 652 career rebounds are 11th most in Laker history. He is just 16 boards shy of reaching Ron Polus (668 from 1981-85) for 10th place on the GVSU career rebounding list.
 
Grand Valley State is 42-37 all-time against Michigan Tech, despite falling to the Huskies 72-64 on Jan. 26 in Houghton. MTU shot nearly 44 percent from the field (the Lakers were at almost 38 percent) and the Huskies forced GVSU into 17 turnovers, while committing only eight themselves. The Lakers won the rebounding battle 44-32, but were outscored in the second half, 43-36.
 
Michigan Tech is 14-11 overall and 12-6 in GLIAC play and are 3-3 since defeating the Lakers a few weeks ago. The Huskies are actually better on the road (8-4) than they are at home (6-6), including recent wins over Northern Michigan (76-62, Jan. 30) and Northwood (78-61, Feb. 2) before an overtime loss at Lake Superior State (98-84, Feb. 4). Most recently, Michigan Tech fell 68-47 at home to Wayne State last Thursday before bouncing back for a 66-60 win against Saginaw Valley State on Saturday.
 
Averaging a GLIAC-low 8.8 turnovers per game, the Huskies are also one of the best three-point shooting teams in the league. Sophomore forward Kyle Monroe was the GLIAC Freshman of the Year last season and is putting up 20.1 points and 7.6 rebounds per game and shoots very well from the field (49.1), beyond the arc (40.0), and at the line (82.1). Freshman guard Tommy Lucca is scoring 16.8 points per game with team-highs in assists (110), and free throws made (103) and attempted (133). Senior Jordan Chartier (77 made three-pointers, 91.2 free throw percentage) and sophomore Bryan Heath (50 three-pointers, 87.7 percent at the line both score in double-digits, as well.
 
The Lakers used a stunning 34-2 run - including 20 consecutive points - in the second half to top Northern Michigan in Marquette 79-56 on Jan. 28. GVSU is now 50-31 all-time against the Wildcats with that win. Overall in that game, the Lakers shot 49 percent from the floor and made 11-of-17 three-pointers, including 8-of-9 tries in the second half when GVSU held a 51-30 scoring advantage. Grand Valley State also led the rebounding battle, 45-31.
 
Northern Michigan has lost six of its last seven games, including the defeat to GVSU near the end of January. The lone win for the Wildcats is a 79-62 road victory over Northwood on Feb. 4, though they have a one-point loss to Saginaw Valley State (63-62), a two-point loss at Lake Superior State (69-67), and a pair of six-point home losses to Ferris State (86-80) and Wayne State (70-64). Oddly enough, NMU - like Michigan Tech - is also better on the road (4-4) than at home (2-11).
 
Four Wildcats average in double-figures, led by sophomore guard Naba Echols and his 17.0 points per game, to go with 100 total assists. Echols is a good shooter from the field (47.7), from long range (41.0), and at the line (88.5). Sophomore Isaiah Johnson is putting up 14.2 points and a team-high 6.1 rebounds per game, while shooting 45.0 percent from the field and 39.3 percent from downtown. He also has 30 blocks. Junior Jordan Perez is averaging 13.5 points and 5.6 rebounds per game, while shooting nearly 47 percent from the floor.
 
Prior to the start of Saturday's game against Northern Michigan, the Lakers' three seniors - Alexander, Ryskamp, and Starks - will be honored on Senior Day.
 
GVSU closes the regular season at rival Ferris State next Thursday (Feb. 23) at 8:00 p.m.