Tiffin                Indianapolis
Live Stats        Live Stats
Live Video       Live Video
Live Audio       Live Audio

ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State Lakers open up their home 2018-19 schedule this weekend with a pair of in-region, non-conference matchups at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers host a familiar foe in the Tiffin Dragons on Friday (Nov. 16) at 7:00 PM before a Sunday showdown with the Indianapolis Greyhounds at 2:00 PM. The Lakers enter this weekend 2-0 after a pair of road wins last weekend in the GLIAC/GMAC crossover in West Virginia.
 
"We're excited to get out on our own floor and play in front of the home crowd again," said head coach Ric Wesley. "We have a great group of extremely talented and athletic guys and I think our fans are really going to enjoy watching our brand of basketball this season."
 
The Lakers pulled out two convincing wins to start the year; downing Alderson Broaddus, 96-74, in the opener Saturday (Nov. 10) thanks to a lights-out first half and then a strong second half helped GVSU run away with an 85-68 win over Davis & Elkins on Sunday. The bench was instrumental in the two wins, outscoring the opposition's benches by a combined 80-36 mark.
 
Senior Justin Greason scored 18 points with nine rebounds off the pine Saturday, going 7-for-7 from the field. He was a large reason why the Lakers shot over 70% from the floor in the first half of the opener. Jake Van Tubbergen, who missed all of preseason practice with an injury, was able to tough out 17.5 minutes per game over the weekend and was extremely efficient, also averaging 17.5 points per contest.
 
Hunter Hale hit three of his four three-pointers of Sunday's game in the second half to help the Lakers pull away for a 17 win after a two-point half time lead. That game saw the Lakers overcome an hour-long delay when the officials failed to arrive for the scheduled 1:00 start. Hale, who made five threes total last weekend, is coming off a 67-three performance last season; good for eighth all-time in Laker history.
 
The Lakers hope that momentum carries over into what should be a full-sprint game Friday night. The Dragons enter play averaging 82 points a game, but allowing an average of 97 across their first two games. With a brand-new coach and, thus, a whole new style of play, they'll rely on point guard Terrell Mabins to be active on both ends of the floor while leading scorer Josh Williams (19 PPG) can be deadly from the outside, drilling seven threes between the first two games of the year. The good news for the Lakers is their depth has already been proven this season, so a fast-paced game shouldn't bother them too much.
 
"Tiffin's going to push the pace. They like to get out and run," said Wesley. "We need to control the tempo and not let them speed us up too much if we're going to be successful. The transition game will be crucial and we're going to have to defend fast without fouling."
 
The Indianapolis Greyhounds are off to a 3-0 start this season, having already beat two GLIAC teams in Northwood, 71-59, and Saginaw Valley, 85-82, last weekend before picking up a mid-week win over Division III Elmhurst on Wednesday (Nov. 14). They'll have the rest of the week off to prepare for the Lakers. UIndy picked up an exhibition win over Division I Valparaiso, 60-57, in the preseason and hung tough with Ball State the very next night. Four different Greyhounds are averaging double figures in scoring early this season, led by Jimmy King's 16 points per game. Trevor Lakes is 10-23 from down town while Jordache Mavunga averages 10.5 rebounds a game.
 
"Indy is a strong, physical team with a ton of talent," said Wesley. "They're extremely tough on defense and play really solid as a unit on both ends of the court. This will be a good test for our guys against one of the better teams in our region."
 
The first 250 students at the game Friday will get a free T-shirt and all fans are encouraged to wear blue for the opener. This is the first chance to see the new-look Lakers in action and, with the team receiving votes in the latest ABCA poll, there is plenty of excitement surrounding the squad.