at #18 Findlay (22-5, 16-4 GLIAC)
Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Audio: Findlay broadcast
Video: Watch
Live Stats | Game Notes
 
Grand Valley State opens up GLIAC Tournament play on Tuesday night (Feb. 28), as the Lakers travel to Ohio to take on #18 Findlay. The quarterfinal round matchup between GVSU and the Oilers will tipoff at 7:00 p.m. in Croy Gymnasium. It is the eighth time these schools have met in the postseason - either the GLIAC or NCAA Tournament - since the 2006-07 campaign.
 
The Lakers enter Tuesday's game with a 16-12 overall record; GVSU went 12-9 in conference play and earned the seventh seed in the GLIAC Tournament. Findlay was 22-5 in the regular season and the Oilers were 16-4 in league action, nabbing the tournament's second seed and homecourt advantage.
 
Findlay is providing audio, video, and live stats links of Tuesday night's quarterfinal, all of which are free for Laker fans interested in following along.
 
Here is the complete GLIAC Tournament schedule for Tuesday night:
 
Game 1 (7:00 p.m.): #1 Ferris State vs. #8 Hillsdale
 
Game 2 (7:30 p.m.): #4 Michigan Tech vs. #5 Wayne State
 
Game 3 (7:00 p.m.): #2 Findlay vs. #7 Grand Valley State
 
Game 4 (7:00 p.m.): #3 Lake Superior State vs. #6 Ashland
 
The semifinals and championship game will take place on Saturday (Mar. 4) and Sunday (Mar. 5) at the site of the highest remaining seed. Winners of Game 1 and Game 2 will play in one semifinal, with the Game 3 and Game 4 winners competing in the other semifinal. Times and location are still to be determined.
 
This is the 19th GLIAC Tournament appearance for Grand Valley State and the 12th during head coach Ric Wesley's tenure in Allendale. In 18 previous appearances, the Lakers are 22-12 overall and have won six GLIAC Tournament championships (1990-91, 1991-92, 1996-97, 2000-01, 2005-06, 2007-08).
 
Thursday's meeting between GVSU and Findlay is the fifth time these times have clashed in the conference tournament, all of which have come since the 2006-07 season. The Oilers have won three of those four games, with those three victories coming on their home floor in Ohio. Grand Valley State met UF in three consecutive GLIAC Championship games, with the Oilers winning the title in 2006-07 (71-61 in Findlay) and in 2008-09 (67-56 in Findlay). GVSU won the middle meeting 73-67 to claim the 2007-08 title in Allendale.
 
The programs also faced off in the NCAA Tournament in back-to-back-to-back seasons, with the Lakers notching two of the three victories. Grand Valley State won the 2007-08 Great Lakes Region Championship by a 75-58 final in Allendale and knocked Findlay out of the 2009-10 NCAA Tournament quarterfinals with a 68-56 victory in Owensboro, Ky. UF captured a 66-51 win in the opening round of the regional tournament at Findlay in 2008-09.
 
This year, the cross-division opponents met just once in the regular season. In the GLIAC opener for both teams, Grand Valley State defeated Findlay 61-58 in Allendale thanks to a late-game comeback for the Lakers. The Oilers led 58-52 with 5:48 remaining before consecutive buckets from seniors Juwan Starks and Trevin Alexander made it a one-possession game and junior Myles Miller tied the score with 2:46 to play.
 
Senior guard Luke Ryskamp nailed the go-ahead and eventual game-winning three-pointer with 2.2 seconds to go, capping the 9-0 comeback. Findlay's Martyce Kimbrough's possible tying trifecta was off target and the Lakers held on for the victory, keeping the Oilers scoreless for the final 5:48 of the game.
 
GVSU had just one player in double-digits, as sophomore center Justin Greason tallied 12 points on 6-for-7 shooting, while adding six rebounds and two blocks in just 16 minutes. Miller totaled nine points, junior Drake Baar added eight points, and Ryskamp posted seven points and seven boards.
 
The Lakers owned a 43-32 rebounding advantage and a 36-22 edge in points in the paint. With 17 offensive rebounds, Grand Valley State also held a 19-9 tally in second chance points, though the Lakers did commit 20 turnovers, second-most of any game this year. GVSU shot nearly 46 percent from the field, while Findlay connected on 39 percent of its attempts.
 
There were 18 lead changes and six tie scores in the game. Findlay was led in scoring by forward Tyler Stern-Tucker, who scored 13 points in 23 minutes off the bench. Kimbrough, an All-GLIAC First Team selection, scored 11 points on 4-of-15 shooting, including a 3-for-10 mark from three-point range.
 
Earlier on Monday, the 2016-17 All-GLIAC Teams were announced. Ryskamp and Alexander were both named to the All-GLIAC Second Team, which marked Ryskamp's second year in a row with that distinction. Alexander was also voted to the GLIAC All-Defensive Team; both of Alexander's honors were the first of his career.
 
Ryskamp leads the Lakers in scoring at 13.6 points per game and recently moved into a tie for 17th place in GVSU history with 1,304 career points. He is only 29 points away from reaching the top-15 in Laker history in all-time scoring. Alexander, who is second in the GLIAC with 8.4 rebounds per game, is into 10th place in Grand Valley State history with 683 career boards.
 
Since Wesley became GVSU head coach in 2004-05, Ryskamp is the seventh Laker to earn multiple All-GLIAC honors, while Alexander is the 12th GVSU player to be named to the All-Defensive Team.
 
Findlay is a well-rounded team, as the Oilers lead the GLIAC in field goal percentage (49.8) and made three-pointers per game (10.3), while also tallying the most steals (7.9) and fewest fouls (14.6) of any team in the conference. UF shoots 40.7 percent as a team from three-point range - which is second-best in the GLIAC - but it ranks in the bottom half of the league in free throws made, attempted, and percentage. Traditionally a strong defensive team, the Oilers are sixth this season at 72.2 points per game allowed, while the Lakers rank second at 67.5 points per game.
 
Kimbrough is scoring 20.4 points per game and his 106 made three-pointers are 18 more than any other player in the conference. He is fourth in the GLIAC in scoring and the junior is 60-for-62 at the free throw line for a league-best 96.8 free throw percentage. He has scored in double figures in 26 of 27 games this season and has totaled 22, 32, 41, 29, and 28 points in his last five contests.
 
Junior Taren Sullivan - also a First Team All-GLIAC selection - put up averages of 17.6 points, 7.4 rebounds, and 4.2 assists per game, while shooting 56.4 percent from the field and 46.6 percent from three-point range. Junior guard Elijah Kahlig scores 10.9 points per game and has knocked down 70 three-pointers and Stern-Tucker adds 10.2 points and 4.5 rebounds per game with a 50.5 field goal percentage.
 
With a victory on Tuesday night, GVSU would face either third-seeded Lake Superior State or sixth-seed Ashland at the site of the highest remaining seed on Saturday (Mar. 4).