Terrific offensive performances from a pair of Laker seniors pushed Grand Valley State back into the win column on Thursday night (Feb. 9) in Allendale, as GVSU started its four-game homestand with a solid 94-83 victory over visiting Northwood. Senior guards Juwan Starks and Luke Ryskamp combined for 52 points in the win, while the Lakers shot an even 50.0 percent from the field in their highest-scoring output of the season.

The victory puts GVSU at 14-10 overall and 10-7 in conference play. With the win, the Lakers keep pace in the conference stadings; Grand Valley State remains tied with Ashland and Wayne State for fifth place in the GLIAC standings, as that trio is just one game back of Lake Superior State and Michigan Tech for third place. Coincidentally, GVSU's next two games are against both of those Upper Peninsula schools. 

Northwood falls to 5-21 on the year and 3-14 in conference play. The Timberwolves shot just 39.4 percent from the field and 9-of-28 from three-point range.

Grand Valley State shot well from all over the floor, finishing a tidy 31-for-62 from the floor, including a 9-for-13 mark from beyond the arc. At the line, the Lakers went 23-of-31; both of those numbers are season-bests for GVSU.

All nine of the Lakers' three-pointers came from Starks and Ryskamp, who combined to shoot 14-for-25 from the field. Starks poured in 19 of his career-high 28 points in the first half; overall, he made 8-of-13 attempts and was 6-of-7 from downtown, while going 6-of-10 at the charity stripe. Ryskamp tallied 19 of his season-high 24 points in the second half; he made 3-of-4 triple tries and was 9-for-9 at the line. Both players pulled down five rebounds.

The third Laker senior - Trevin Alexander - recorded a game-high 12 boards to go with seven points. GVSU won the rebounding battle, 43-38.

Northwood got off to a solid start, leading 12-4 less than six minutes into the contest. Starks followed an Alexander layup with a three-pointer and a jumper in a 41-second span to tie the game at 15-15. After a Zach West layup gave the Lakers a 17-15 lead, Starks added three more three-pointers in a 61-second span to push GVSU out to a 29-19 advantage. Starks drilled his first five shots of the game, four of which came from beyond the arc.

Ryskamp notched five straight points and a Myles Miller layup had Grand Valley State out to a 36-21 cushion at the four-minute mark of the first half. With the first half winding down, Starks drove to the left and scored on a layup right before the buzzer, ending the opening frame with 19 points and a 41-32 Laker edge.

In the opening 20 minutes, Starks went 6-of-8 from the field and 4-for-5 from long range. GVSU shot 45.5 percent from the floor, while Northwood was at a 34.4 percent clip. 

The lead was six points at 54-48 with 14:55 remaining when Ryskamp began his takeover. Recently moving into the career top-20 in scoring in Laker history, Ryskamp delivered an old-fashioned three-point play, followed by two more free throws, and another layup. Starks sank two freebies, which capped the 10-0 run and had the Lakers in front 63-48 with 12 minutes to go.

Northwood remained close and chipped away at the deficit, pulling with seven points on four different occasions. Another Ryskamp layup pushed the GVSU cushion to double-digits, Starks drilled another trifecta, and two more Ryskamp freebies gave Grand Valley State its biggest lead of the game at 87-69 with 3:46 to go. Starks knocked in his sixth triple of the game less than a minute later to set a new career-high with 28 points, topping his 26-point performance in a home win over Ashland in mid-December.

Miller came off the bench to post 12 points on 6-for-12 shooting in 25 minutes. Junior Chris Dorsey added nine points and four assists in the starting point guard role, while sophomore Justin Greason notched seven rebounds and a pair of blocked shots.

GVSU's previous season-high for points was 93 in the team's 93-78 win at Northwood on Jan. 12. It is the fourth time this season Grand Valley State has topped the 90-point plateau.

Now 8-3 at home this season, the Lakers continue their four-game homestand on Saturday afternoon (Feb. 11) against Lake Superior State. Tipoff is scheduled at 3:00 p.m. inside the Fieldhouse Arena.