vs. Bellarmine (Wednesday, Dec. 19 – 1:00 PM)
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The No. 11 Grand Valley State Lakers (9-1, 4-0 GLIAC) will host Bellarmine in an important regional matchup on Wednesday, Dec. 17 at 1:00 PM inside GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in their second to last game of 2018. The Lakers are fresh off of a 73-50 victory over Central State this past Monday (Dec. 17) which pushed their winning streak out to seven games, while they remain undefeated on their home court at 6-0. The Knights will enter the contest with a 5-2 overall record and an 0-1 mark in Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) play. After opening the season 5-0, the Knights are 0-2 in their last two contests, falling to Southern Indiana and Kentucky State. 

Tickets to Wednesday's game will be just $2 for GVSU Faculty and Staff with a valid ID. The offer can also be redeemed if faculty or staff members show the graphic posted on the GVSU Lakers official Twitter account (@gvsulakers). 
 
After a slow start against the Central State Marauders, the Laker bounced back for another 20+ point victory, their seventh such win this season. It also marked the seventh time they have held their opponents to 50 points or less and they currently rank 14th in the nation in scoring defense (53.3 ppg allowed). While the Lakers have been known for their defensive prowess since head coach Mike Williams took over four seasons ago, they have added a new wrinkle for opposing offenses in their shot-blocking ability. Their 6.2 blocks per contest is the third highest in the nation while junior Cassidy Boensch is 10th nationally with 3.0 blocks per game. 
 
The Lakers are also only allowing opponents to shoot 33.8% from the field and an even lower 26.9% from beyond the arc. 
 
Juniors Boensch and Jenn DeBoer have been lights out in the Lakers first 10 contests this season, averaging 18.5 and 17.2 points per game respectively. Boensch is also averaging 12.6 rebounds per contest and just recently became the third Laker in program history to record a triple double after stuffing the stat sheet with 11 points, 14 rebounds, and 10 blocks. DeBoer has also been hot from beyond the arc in the Lakers last three games, knocking down 14-of-25 (56.0%) from deep. 
 
GVSU and Bellarmine have just one opponent in common this season, that being Central State. The Knights managed to take down the Marauders, 102-73, back on Nov. 17 on their home court. Since then, BU has gone 2-2. They are a strong offensive team, scoring just over 75 points per contest and are holding their opponents to 65.6 points on the other end of the court. 
 
Sophomore forward Lauren Deel is averaging a team-high 11.7 points per contest to go along with 4.1 rebounds and 1.3 assists. Senior center Liza Tibbs is shooting an impressive 66.7% from the field this season and leads the team with 7.7 boards per contest to go along with her 11.0 points. She is also the team's leading shot-blocker with six rejections this season. 
 
The Knights have the ability to spread the offense around Deel and Tibbs, as five other players are averaging at least 6.0 points per game.