ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State Lakers look to carry their recent momentum into the second installment of the Downtown Thursday series. The Lakers will host Lake Superior State at the DeltaPlex in downtown Grand Rapids on Thursday (Jan. 18) at 8:00 PM. GVSU is 6-1 in their last seven games and enters the contest 9-8 on the year and 4-5 in the GLIAC while LSSU is 14-3 and is tied atop the GLIAC with an 8-1 league mark.
 
An offensive game can be expected when the two Lakers face off Thursday. Grand Valley State has scored at least 80 points in each of their last seven games and ranks fourth in the league with 77.2 points per game while LSSU ranks second in the GLIAC in points per game with 82.8 per contest. Grand Valley State allows 71.9 points a game while Lake Superior State is allowing 69.1 points to opponents this season. GVSU is third in the league in opponent field goal percentage, with teams shooting 42.5% against the Lakers this year, but Lake Superior State has the best offensive shooting percentage in the GLIAC at 53% for the year.
 
Myles Miller has been the driving force of the Laker offense over the last two games, scoring a combined 50 points in the games against Ashland and Tiffin. A senior, Miller had never scored 20 points in a game in his career before doing so in back-to-back road games. Both games were tied with under two minutes to go and Miller was as clutch as they come, scoring 35 of his 50 points in the second halves of those games, which the Lakers split.
 
Freshman Jake Van Tubbergen continues to be efficient from the field. He averages over 10 points per game while shooting at a .563 clip, which is tied for the fourth-best shooting percentage in the GLIAC. Michael Nicholson of Lake Superior State leads the league in scoring percentage with a .699 mark from the floor.
 
Leading the potent LSSU attack is Akaemji Williams, who scores 19.6 points per game - the third-most in the league – and is coming off a 33-point performance against Michigan Tech last Saturday. The senior Williams shoots .502 from the floor while also averaging 7.1 assists per game, which leads the GLIAC. He is also a pest on the defensive end, swiping a league-high 3.1 steals per game.
 
While both offenses have been extremely efficient this season, GVSU appears to have an edge on the missed shots, with the Lakers leading the GLIAC and ranking 50^th in the nation with 39.8 rebounds per game. A big part of that lead is their 13.1 offensive rebounds per game, setting up second-chance scoring opportunities. LSSU is second-to-last in the league in rebounding, hauling in 32.1 boards a contest.
 
With two red-hot offenses, a GLIAC North battle and a chance for GVSU to knock off the league leader, there is plenty to root for Thursday. To add to the excitement, the game will be played on the big stage at the DeltaPlex – home of the Grand Rapids Drive. Tickets are available now by visiting gvsulakers.com. Student tickets are just $5 and all tickets cover both the men's game and the women's game that begins at 6 PM. The games will be available on the Grand Valley Sports Network; televised on ESPN3 and on the air on ESPN 96.1 FM in Grand Rapids and anywhere on the iHeart app.