at Ferris State (5-21, 4-16 GLIAC)
Thursday, 6:00 p.m.
Radio: WTKG AM 1230 | Listen
Video: Watch (pay-per-view) 
Live Stats | Game Notes

ALLENDALE, Mich.—Riding a four-game winning streak and fresh off securing a third straight 20-win season, the Grand Valley State women's basketball team will look to win out the regular season at rival Ferris State on Thursday. The Lakers will meet the Bulldogs for the second time this season, having handily defeated them earlier this season in Allendale, and catches Ferris State during a four game losing streak.
 
Fans can follow along with game action at the above links. The game will be broadcast on WTKG AM 1230, with sixth year play-by-play man DJ Foster calling all the action.
 
GVSU won both games last weekend at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena, besting Michigan Tech 64-52 on Thursday and winning a dramatic contest over Northern Michigan on Saturday, 46-44.  The Lakers avenged an earlier loss to Michigan Tech this season with the victory on Thursday, as they were powered by a double-double effort from Bailey Cairnduff (17 pts/12 rebounds). After falling behind 15-14 to Tech after the first quarter, the Lakers outscored the Huskies in the next two quarters, including 25-13 in the third quarter, to open up a double-digit lead and coasting to a comfortable victory.
 
In Saturday's game against Northern Michigan, the Lakers combatted a dreadful shooting performance (15-51 from the field, 2-16 from 3-Pt.) throughout the game. The Wildcats did not take advantage of the poor shooting day to open up a sizeable lead of their own, carrying just a 10 point cushion at the halftime break. In the second half, the Lakers showed spurts of life in outscoring Northern Michigan 18-11 in the third quarter and 14-9 in the final frame. It was not until a basket at the 2:00 minute mark in the fourth that the Lakers held their first lead of the game, yet it was GVSU that would get a game-winning basket from Janae Langs with just under four seconds remaining to pull out the win. With the victories, the Lakers improved to 20-6 on the season and 15-5 in GLIAC play, and are second place in the GLIAC North standings.
 
Langs has been having far and away her best statistical season of her career in her senior campaign, although her series of clutch shots in last year's postseason run was spectacular in it's own way. Saturday's game winner only adds credence to Lang's ability to deliver clutch buckets when needed. Her game is multi-faceted, and she leads the team in scoring (10.2 ppg) because of her ability to score from anywhere on the court, and in a variety of ways. The Climax native has been shooting the three-ball at a 10 percent better clip this season (35 percent) than last year, showing not only the improvement in her shooting form but also her shot selection. Additionally, she leads the Lakers in rebounding (5.7 per game), assists (78) and is second in steals (35) and three-pointers (31).
 
Also playing well in the weekend's games was Bailey Cairnduff, who notched her first career double-double in Thursday's victory, and finished second to Langs with 12 points in the victory over Northern Michigan. The team's leading shooter from beyond the arc, Cairnduff has 51 makes this season and is averaging 9.8 points per game this season. Freshman center Cassidy Boensch had her best game against one of the taller teams in the league on Saturday, finishing with 10 points, three rebounds and four blocks in the victory. 
 
Two more games in which the Lakers held opponents below 55 points has reduced the season average allowed by GVSU to 52.0 points per contest, a figure that is second in the nation in scoring defense. Twenty of GVSU's 26 opponents this season have been held below the 55 point mark, as the Lakers have made it much easier on themselves by holding other teams well in check on offense.
 
Faced with the tough task of breaking down that tough Laker defense is a Ferris State offense ranked second to last in the GLIAC with 61.3 points a game. The Bulldogs may have difficulty even reaching that figure if the game unfolds like it did in the January 30^th meeting, when Ferris State shot just 28.3 percent (15-53) from the field and was handed the worst loss of the season, an 85-38 loss. Just one Bulldog reached double-digits, and leading scorers Rachel McInerney and Riley Blair were held to a combined 15 points.
 
The Bulldogs are ranked ninth in the GLIAC in shooting percentage from the field, at 41.1 percent, but are second to last in three-point shooting percentage, and have taken and made the lowest amount of triple attempts in the conference. Only three Bulldogs have made more than ten triples this season, and Alexis Bush leads the team with 22 makes, making their offense a virtual non-threat from the arc. Further inhibiting the Bulldog offense is a conference worst 19.4 turnovers per game, as well as 18.9 personal fouls per contest.
 
After playing two of the GLIAC's best defenses last weekend, the Lakers should have no trouble finding open looks against the defense of the Bulldogs, which allows the second most points in the conference (73.9). The Bulldogs have given up 80 or more points in eight games this season, and at least 70 points in eighteen contests.