vs. Purdue Northwest (Saturday, Jan. 27 - 3:00 PM)
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The #24 ranked Grand Valley State women's basketball team is set to host the Pride of Purdue Northwest in a GLIAC showdown this Saturday afternoon (Jan. 27) inside GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. Tipoff is set for 3:00 PM. Most recently, the Lakers earned a couple of lopsided victories over Lake Superior State (80-40) and Ferris State (76-57) to improve their overall record to 16-3 and their record in conference play to 9-2. The Lakers mark in conference play puts them in a tie with Michigan Tech, also 9-2, for first place in the GLIAC North Division and second place overall, as both teams trail only Ashland (11-0 GLIAC).
 
Saturday's games (men's and women's) will serve as GVSU's "Kids Day" where inflatables, mascots, giveaways, and post-game autographs will all be part of the fun. Admission for kids 12 & under is free starting with the men's game at 1:00 PM.
 
For the first time this season, the Lakers cracked the Women's Basketball Coaches Association NCAA Division II top 25 rankings, coming in at No. 24. The Lakers were one of just a few teams to have been receiving votes in every weekly poll since the Nov. 21 edition and their recent stretch of nine wins in ten contests finally pushed them over the edge.
 
This will be the second time that the Lakers and the Pride face off this season, as they previously battled down in Hammond, Ind. back on Dec. 16. The Lakers earned a 20-point victory over Purdue Northwest, 73-53, in what would be the second game of a six game winning streak. In that contest, five different Lakers scored in double-digits, led by Jenn DeBoer (14) who was followed by Natalie Koenig (13), Korynn Hincka (13), Victoria Hedemark (11), and Cassidy Boensch (10), while Taylor Parmley contributed nine points as well. Hincka had a particularly impressive game, as she tallied 12 rebounds to go along with her 13 points to post her second double double of the season. For the Pride, Bayley Goodman and Lanie Allen both posted games of 12 points while Ellie Michalski pulled down 11 rebounds and eight points.
 
More recently, junior Natalie Keonig has been on a tear, as she is the reigning GLIAC North Division Player of the Week after pouring in 22 points against Lake Superior State and another 19 against Ferris State last weekend. On the season, Koenig is averaging 10.7 points per game and ranks second on the squad in both assists (60) and steals (26). Besides Koenig, three other Lakers are averaging 10+ points a contest. DeBoer leads the way with 13.1 ppg and is followed closely by Parmley (11.9 ppg) and Hincka (10.3 ppg).
 
Despite their impressive offensive resume, the Laker defense has been the highlight of the season so far. GVSU is allowing a league-low 56.8 points per game, which also ranks as the 20th best scoring defense in the entire NCAA. The Laker's have a knack for forcing opponents into low-percentage shots, as evidenced by the fact that opponents are shooting just 38.7% from the floor and 27.2% from beyond the arc, which ranks second and first in the GLIAC, respectively. Once opponents miss those shots, they more than likely won't get a second chance to get a bucket because the Lakers rank 2nd in the league in defensive rebounds at 27.0 per game.
 
During this ten game stretch that has seen the Lakers emerge victorious nine times, GVSU has allowed just one opponent to score more than 60 points in a contest and they will look to continue the trend against a Pride offense that is averaging 56.2 ppg on 32.9% shooting. Leading the charge to buck that trend however, is Pride sophomore Shae Rhonehouse and forward Ellie Michalski. Rhonehouse is scoring a team-high 12.8 points per contest while Michalski is putting in 10.2 points while pulling down a team-high 9.9 rebounds. While Michalski likes to get her work done in the paint, Rhonehouse is the Pride's biggest deep threat as she has hit 27 three's this season.
 
Following tomorrow's contest, the Lakers will be back in action next Thursday (Feb. 1) for a big GLIAC matchup against Michigan Tech at 5:30 PM before heading over to Northern Michigan on Saturday (Feb. 3) for a 3:00 PM matchup.