vs. Central State (Monday, Dec. 17 – 1:00 PM)
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The No. 11 Grand Valley State women's basketball team is set to host Central State of the Southern Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (SIAC) on Monday afternoon (Dec. 17) inside GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers, who haven't played since they hosted Wayne State on Dec. 8, will enter the contest with an 8-1 overall record and a 4-0 record in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) standings. The Marauders are currently 4-7 overall and 2-3 in SIAC play.
The Lakers are currently riding a six-game winning streak that includes conference wins over Wisconsin-Parkside (67-50), Purdue Northwest (75-49), then No. 1 nationally-ranked Ashland (94-61), and most recently Wayne State (73-42). The success the Lakers found in the latter two victories came on the back of reigning GLIAC Player of the Week in junior guard
Jenn DeBoer. The Byron Center, Mich. native poured in a career-high 32 points against the top ranked Eagles to help secure the upset before following it up with a 15-point performance against the Warriors just a day later. DeBoer is now second on the team in scoring as she is averaging 16.8 points per contest and leads the team with 36 assists. She is also shooting 45.8% from the field and is an impressive 25-of-26 from the free throw line.
Junior
Cassidy Boensch has continued to put up impressive numbers this season, leading the team in scoring, rebounding, and blocking, all while picking up the second most assists. Her six straight double doubles have led her to 18.9 points and 12.8 rebounds per contest. She also became just the third Laker in program history to record a triple double after she scored 11 points, pulled down 14 boards, and swatted 10 shots against the Warriors.
While DeBoer and Boensch have been leading the team lately, the Lakers have no shortage of talent as they have gotten solid play from guards
Victoria Hedemark (8.8 ppg, 20 steals),
Natalie Koenig (8.8 ppg, 17 steals), and
Taya Andrews (5.1 ppg, 12-18 3-PT) as well as forward
Maddie Dailey (8.3 ppg, 13 blocks).
The Marauders, who are scoring 65.8 points per game so far this season, will face a Laker defense that allows just 53.7 points, which ranks second in the conference and 14th nationally. Much of the success the Lakers find on defense comes from their ability to deny opposing teams' opportunities in the paint, as they currently rank second nationally with 6.3 blocks per game. GVSU's defense on the perimeter is nothing to scoff at however, as they are allowing opponents to shoot just 27.2% from beyond the arc.
Looking to break through the stout Laker defense will be Takyra Gilbert and Jaeda Davis, who lead the Marauders with 12.5 and 12.1 points per game, respectively. Chervelle Cox has been a force down low, scoring 9.8 points per contest while grabbing a team-best 8.9 boards per game. Falon Edwards (9.2 points) and Brooke Spaulding (8.1 points) are also viable scoring threats for Central State.
Following Monday's contest, the Lakers will quickly bounce back in a regional matchup with a tough Bellarmine squad on Wednesday (Dec. 19) as they host the Knights in a 1:00 PM contest inside GVSU Fieldhouse Arena.
