Head Coach Mike Williams Postgame Interview
ALLENDALE, Mich.—A battle between two of the GLIAC North Division's best ended in favor of the Grand Valley State women's basketball team, as they defeated the Michigan Tech Huskies by a 64-52 score on Thursday night. The victory at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena improved the Lakers to 19-6 on the season and 14-5 in the GLIAC, and gives them sole possession of second place in the GLIAC North Standings.
Bailey Cairnduff had a career-high 12 rebounds and scored 17 points to lead GVSU, while freshman guard
Jenn DeBoer finished with 10 for the Lakers, who shot 40.4 percent (21-52) from the field and 8-21 (38.1 percent) form beyond the arc. GVSU's defense took the bite out of the Huskies, as they committed 15 turnovers and were held to just 34 percent (17-50) from the floor and 23.5 percent (4-17) from three-point range in the contest.
The first quarter was every bit the tight, back-and-forth affair that defined the team's earlier matchup this season, a 49-48 Tech victory in Houghton. An opening layup from
Taylor Parmley was the only points the Lakers would score in the opening four minutes of play, as the Huskies answered back with three straight baskets to take a 6-2 lead. Shortly thereafter, a Cairnduff triple tied the game up at 10 apiece with just under four minutes remaining, followed by back-to-back layups from
Cassidy Boensch to put the Lakers up 14-10. With a minute and a half left, the Huskies scored a triple and a jumper to seize a 15-10 lead at the end of the first quarter.
In the second quarter, the Lakers opened the frame with two triples by Cairnduff and
Piper Tucker to take a 20-15 lead with five minutes remaining in the quarter. A jumper by Morgan Anderson cut the margin to three, only to be quickly answered by a triple from Langs. The final three minutes of the game featured some back and forth between the two teams, and a pair of free throws by Michigan Tech closed the half with a 26-24 halftime score.
The third quarter is where the game would be won, as Grand Valley State turned a two-point lead into a 14-point lead by quarter's end. A quick 4-0 run to open the quarter saw the Lakers extent the lead to 30-24, and a pair of Huskies free throws were then answered by a triple from Cairnduff with six and a half minutes left in the game. One minute later, DeBoer would score five quick points on a pair of free throws and an old-fashioned three-point play, putting the margin at 38-28 with five minutes left. The Huskies wittled the lead down to eight with a pair of free throws and a triple, only to see GVSU answer back with six quick points to open the lead to 14 with 1:10 left to go. The Lakers would get a pair of free throws by Parmley to offset a Tech jumper and take a 51-37 lead into the final frame.
Faced with a strong deficit heading into the final frame, the Huskies weren't able to trim the deficit by much at all, as they outscored the Lakers by just one point in the quarter, 15-14. After the Lakers jumped out to their highest lead of the game, 17 points, on a jumper by Lutz with 5:24 remaining, the Huskies would score eight straight points to trim the margin down to eight. With just 1:25 remaining in the game, the Lakers would score six points, four by free throws, to close out the game and earn the win.
With neither team shooting the lights out in the game, the determining factor in the contest was GVSU's ability to make shots when it mattered, and continue to limit looks for their opponent. Holding slight advantages in points in the paint (22-18), points off turnovers (10-8), second chance points (6-4) and bench scoring (15-5) certainly didn't hurt the home teams chances, but the Lakers benefited greatly from selfless and fundamental team play in earning the crucial conference and regional victory.
Next up for GVSU is a home matchup with Northern Michigan on Sunday. The game is also the Senior Day for GVSU, in which the seven-member senior class will be recognized before the game for their group accomplishments.
