ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State Lakers led at the break and kept the game at one possession until the final minute in a hard-fought loss, 87-81, to the No. 5 Ferris State Bulldogs in front of 2,003 fans Saturday night at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. Hunter Hale knocked down six threes and matched his season high of 22 points while Myles Miller eclipsed the 20-mark for the third time in four games, scoring 21 in the loss. The Lakers fall to 10-9 on the year and 5-6 in the GLIAC while the Bulldogs improve to 10-1 in the league and 20-1 overall.
 
The Lakers shot .455 (35-77) for the game while Ferris State hit at a .431 (31-72) clip. The Lakers went 2-4 at the free throw line, while Ferris State had a heavy advantage in the category with an 18-25 mark. The Lakers were 9-22 from downtown while the Bulldogs hit 7-17 three-pointers. The top two rebounding teams in the league were neck-and-neck on the boards, but the Lakers wound up with a 45-40 edge in the category. GVSU turned the ball over 12 times, blocked three shots and swiped three steals while Ferris State had seven turnovers, seven blocks and eight steals.
 
Hale and Miller were two of four Lakers in double-figures Saturday night. Drake Baar contributed 13 points, tying with Miller for the rebound lead with eight. Jake Van Tubbergen contributed ten points and six rebounds in the contest. Noah King had 19 points to lead the Bulldogs while Zach Hankins, who was held scoreless in the first half, finished with a double-double with 16 points and 10 rebounds while blocking four shots.
 
The Lakers were within one, 77-76, with 3:30 left in the game before a 7-0 run by the Bulldogs, which included a pair of fouls on the Lakers, to run away late as the clock dipped under a minute to play. Miller laid in a bucket with three seconds left to cut the deficit to six, but it was too little too late.  Grand Valley State had a 43-42 lead at the break thanks to back-to-back three pointers from Hale late in the period. It was the first loss for the Lakers at home this season when leading at the break.
 
The Lakers get a rest in midweek action, returning to the GVSU Fieldhouse next Saturday (Jan. 27) to host the Purdue Northwest Pride at 1:00 PM. The game is available live on ESPN3 and ESPN Radio 96.1 FM and the iHeart app.