at Northwood (16-10, 13-8 GLIAC)
Tuesday, 7:00 p.m.
Radio: WTKG AM 1230 | Listen
Video: Watch 
Live Stats | Game Notes

ALLENDALE, Mich.—The Grand Valley State women's basketball team returns to action on Tuesday, as they host sixth seeded Northwood in the quarterfinals of the 2017 GLIAC Tournament. The Lakers will be facing the Timberwolves for the third time this season, which each team having defeated the other at home during the regular season.
 
Tip-off is set for 7:00 p.m. at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. Fans can follow along with the game via the links above, and can listen to the broadcast of the game on WTKG 1230 AM, with sixth year play-by-play man DJ Foster calling the action.
 
GVSU (21-6, 16-5 GLIAC) has been surging as of late, winning five straight games and eight of their last ten. That win streak began with the February 9^th victory over Northwood, which the Lakers won by a 73-52 margin. Since then, the team has eclipsed the 20-win plateau for the third straight season, marking the second time in program history that GVSU has accomplished the feat. Earlier in the season, Northwood won the opening round between the two teams by defeating GVSU 60-53 on January 12th in a game marred by poor shooting and turnovers. 
 
GVSU's most recent victory, a 68-49 win on Thursday over rival Ferris State, gave rise to a new milestone for a team which has made a serious impact with defense this season. By holding the Bulldogs below 50 points in the game, the Lakers slipped below Alaska-Anchorage and now owns the best scoring defense in Division II at 51.9 points per game. Opponents are shooting just 36.3 percent from the floor against GVSU (41^st nationally) and allow opponents to shoot just 30.4 percent from beyond the arc. Faced with a suffocating defense that specializes in limiting good looks at the basket, 21 of GVSU's 27 opponents this season have failed to reach 55 points in the game, creating a double-digit scoring margin in favor of the Lakers.
 
Offensively, Northwood sports the GLIAC's eighth-best scoring offense at 66.0 points per contest, which is only marginally better than the Lakers, who sit one spot behind in ninth. The Timberwolves offense runs heavily through senior forward Jordyn Nurenburg, as the 6-foot forward is shooting 55 percent from the field and 73 percent from the free-throw line this season. Juniors Maddy Seeley and Lindsay Orwat give the Timberwolves reliable outside scoring at 12.8 and 12.1 points, respectively, and are first and second on the team in made three-pointers. The Timberwolves are 11^th in the conference in field goal percentage ( 39.7),  but stack up at seventh in the GLIAC in 3-pt. percentage (33.9 percent).
 
GVSU is led by balanced scoring throughout their starting lineup, as each of the five players averages at least seven points a game and are capable of leading the team in scoring on any given night. The Lakers are shooting 41.3 percent from the field and 31 percent from beyond the arc on the season, and find themselves relying less on offense with a tough defensive effort leading the way. Senior Janae Langs leads the Lakers with 10 points and 5.8 rebounds per contest, while fellow starters Bailey Cairnduff (9.7), Piper Tucker (9.3), Taylor Parmley (9.2) and Taylor Lutz (7.1) each contribute solid scoring each game. The Lakers commit less fouls and turn the ball over less than their opponents, and have outrebounded bigger opponents routinely this season.
 
GVSU is 12-2 at GVSU Fieldhouse Arena this season despite playing some tough games there this season, such as a home contest with then No.1 and still undefeated Ashland University, the favorite to win this season's GLIAC crown. When carrying a lead into the halftime break at home, the Lakers are 10-0 in those contests, and have only yielded one game out of twenty this season in which they led with 2:00 left. The game will be the first the Lakers have played on a Tuesday this season, and will be a night game, which GVSU is 9-4 in this season.
 
The 2017 GLIAC Tournament consists of the following matchups. No. 1 Ashland vs. No. 8 Walsh, No. 4 Michigan Tech vs. No. 5 Ohio Dominican, No. 2 Saginaw Valley State vs. No. 7 Northern Michigan, and No. 3 Grand Valley State vs. No. 6 Northwood. The four winning teams will advance to the semifinals, hosted by the highest remaining seed.