at #17 Michigan Tech (Thursday, Feb. 1 - 5:30 PM)
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at Northern Michigan (Saturday, Feb. 3 - 3:00 PM)
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#24 Grand Valley State is set to travel to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan for a couple of GLIAC matchups against #17 Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan this weekend (Feb. 1-3). The Lakers, winners in ten of their last eleven games, including four straight, currently sit with a 17-3 overall record and a 10-2 mark in conference play after taking down Purdue Northwest (78-36) last weekend. GVSU and Michigan Tech are currently tied for first place in the GLIAC North Division and second place overall, trailing just #1 Ashland (12-0 GLIAC), while Northern Michigan is in a tie for third place in the north at 5-7 in GLIAC action.
 
In the latest WBCA NCAA Division II Coaches Poll, the Lakers ranked #24 for the second straight week while the Huskies jumped up one spot, from #18 to #17, after a couple of wins over Davenport and Northern Michigan. Fellow GLIAC member Ashland (20-0) maintained their #1 spot while Lubbock Christian (19-1), Bentley (19-1), Virginia Union (19-1), and Carson-Newman (20-1) rounded out the top-five.
 
While the Lakers current four game win streak isn't their longest of the season, it may be their most impressive stretch of basketball this year. During the current run, GVSU has outscored its opponents 307-173, or an average of about 34 points per game. The Lakers have held three of their last four foes to 40 points or lower, including a season low 36 points against Purdue Northwest and currently lead the GLIAC and rank 13th in the nation with an average of 55.8 points scored against them per game. GVSU's defense also ranks first in the conference in opponent 3-point percentage at 25.6% and third in overall field goal percentage at 37.9%. The Lakers will be tested this weekend however, as the Huskies are third in the GLIAC with 72.7 points scored per game while the Wildcats are scoring 61.0 ppg and both will have the home court advantage.
 
In the Lakers most recent victory over Purdue Northwest, junior Natalie Koenig continued her recent hot streak by scoring 19 points on 6-of-11 shooting, including 5-of-7 from beyond the arc. Koenig is averaging 20.0 points in her last three games and ranks third on the team with 11.2 points per game this season. The junior is also approaching the 1,000 point mark in her career as she will enter the weekend with 980 points scored.
 
Sophomore Jenn DeBoer currently leads the Laker squad in scoring at 13.0 ppg, while also leading the Lakers with 72 assists this season. Senior Taylor Parmley isn't far behind at 11.9 points per game and fellow senior Korynn Hincka is pouring in 10.3 points and ranks fifth in the league with 7.6 rebounds per game. Sophomore Cassidy Boensch made her first start of the season against PNW and scored nine points on 4-of-6 shooting which improved her season field goal percentage to 61.7%, which ranks second in the GLIAC.
 
#17 Michigan Tech is led by a trio of seniors who are all averaging at least 11 points per game to lead the GLIAC's third best scoring offense. Lindsay Winter leads the Huskies with 12.2 points scored per game while Kelli guy and Brenna Heise are both adding 11.8 points as well. Junior Elizabeth Kelliher isn't far behind with 9.7 ppg. Guy is the Huskies biggest threat from deep, as she ranks first on the team and second in the league in 3-point percentage at 43.2%. Winter is hitting 36.5% of her three's but a majority of her buckets are taken inside the arc while Heise and Kelliher work almost exclusively from around the basket.
 
Not only does Michigan Tech excel on offense, but they also have a stiff defense that ranks third in the conference in opponents points per game (60.8). Statistically, it should turn out to be a competitive game, as it boasts the top defense and fourth best offense in the Lakers, against the third best offense and third best defense in the Huskies – in terms of points scored and points allowed per game.
 
The Northern Michigan Wildcats will enter the week with a 9-11 overall record and a 5-7 mark in conference play. The Wildcats have won two of their last five games with a couple of victories over Davenport and Lake Superior State. Prior to their matchup with GVSU, Northern Michigan will host Purdue Northwest on Thursday night.
 
The Lakers and Wildcats last matchup, back on Dec. 9th, was a double overtime affair that eventually saw the GVSU come out with the win. NMU's Lexi Smith dominated in the game after scoring 29 points while Erin Honkala pulled down 19 rebounds. On the season however, junior Darby Youngstrom leads the Wildcats with 14.1 points per game and is followed by Smith (12.0), Taylor Hodell (10.7), and Jessica Schultz (10.6) as the four Wildcats scoring 10+ points per contest.
 
As a team, Northern Michigan is averaging 61.0 points per game and allowing 63.0 and are one of the top rebounding teams in the conference as they rank second in defensive rebounds per game (26.5) and rebound margin per game (6.0).
 
Following this week's trip up to the U.P., the Lakers will return to West Michigan for their final Downtown Thursday game of the season against Wayne State on Feb. 8th before returning to GVSU Fieldhouse Arena to host Davenport on Saturday, Feb. 10th. Tipoff for the Wayne State game is set for 8PM while gametime for the Davenport game is 6PM.