vs. Ashland (Thursday, Dec. 6 – 6:00 PM)
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vs. Wayne State (Saturday, Dec. 8 – 6:00 PM)
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The No. 15 Grand Valley State women's basketball team is slated for a tough weekend of conference games as they host No. 1 nationally-ranked Ashland (7-0, 2-0 GLIAC) and a Wayne State team (3-4, 1-1 GLIAC) that earned the No. 4 seed in the GLIAC Tournament last season. The Lakers will return to the friendly confines of GVSU Fieldhouse Arena since a Nov. 24 victory over NAIA opponent Concordia – Ann Arbor. GVSU is 3-0 on their home court this year, having also taken down Maryville and Missouri – St. Louis at home to open the 2018-19 season. Both Ashland and Wayne State are undefeated on the road this year as the Eagles are 2-0 and the Warriors are 1-0. 
 
Continuing the tradition of years past around this season, the GVSU Athletic Department will be hosting the Winter Wonderland in the GVSU Fieldhouse Upper Arena lobby prior to the game with Ashland on Thursday (Dec. 6) from 5:30 p.m. to 7:30 p.m. The event is free to the public and gives families a chance to come out and get free photos with Santa Clause and Louie the Laker. 
 
GVSU opened conference play with a couple of road wins over Wisconsin-Parkside and Purdue Northwest. Against the Rangers, the Lakers proved they could maintain their composure when things weren't going their way. After scoring just nine points after shooting 3-of-13 from the field in the first quarter and finding themselves down 16-9 on the road, the Lakers worked back to a 26-21 deficit by halftime before outscoring Parkside 46-24 in the second half to secure the comeback victory. Junior center Cassidy Boensch posted a double double with 17 points and 12 boards while junior guard Jenn DeBoer chipped in 14 points as well. 
 
Against the Pride, the Lakers found themselves in a similar predicament, falling down 17-13 after one before eventually running away with the 26-point victory. Boensch once again led the way with 20 points and 16 rebounds while Natalie Koenig added 11 and Taya Andrews hit three crucial three's to jumpstart the offense. 
 
The defense the Lakers have been known by since head coach Mike Williams took over five seasons ago is back and has been on full display this season. Five of the Lakers seven opponent's this season have failed to score more than 50 points and the Lakers 54.3 points allowed per game is second in the conference and 23rd in the entire nation. What is a slightly new wrinkle in this seasons squad is their ability to block a shot. As a team, the Lakers have established themselves as the top shot blocking team in the conference, tallying 38 total rejections and 5.4 blocks per contest which both also rank top-10 nationally. 
 
The Lakers are no slouch on the offensive side of the ball however. Their 76.4 points per game are second most in the GLIAC which has allowed them to rack up an average margin of victory of just over 22 points per game. Despite a couple of rough starts shooting at Parkside and Purdue Northwest, the Lakers have connected on 45.9% of their shots. Their high shooting percentage can partly be attributed to the fact that they have been able to dominant teams down low. Just once this season they have not outscored their opponents in the paint and currently hold a 270-142 (+128) advantage around the basket. 
 
Boensch has been a very consistent and dominant player for the Lakers in these early games as she had tallied five double doubles and is averaging 20.0 points and 11.9 rebounds per game. She has also tallied a team-best 16 blocks and is second on the squad with 16 assists. DeBoer has also been a consistent scorer, averaging 14.9 per game but has also contributed a team-high 28 assists as well. 
 
Junior forward Maddie Dailey and redshirt junior guard Victoria Hedemark are averaging 8.6 and 8.4 points per game so far while Dailey ranks second with 5.7 boards per contest and Hedemark leads the squad with 16 steals. First year transfer Taya Andrews has shown she can be one of the best three point shooters in the league as she is connecting on 64.3% of her shots from beyond the arc. 
 
The undefeated Eagles bring in the nation's second highest scoring offense as they are averaging 98.6 points through their first seven games. Reigning DII National Player of the Year Jodi Johnson is averaging 21.0 points per game on 68.5% shooting while also accounting for 6.0 boards and 3.0 assists per game. After losing two all-American post players, junior forward Sara Loomis has stepped into the role nicely for the Eagles. She is averaging a team-best 10.7 rebounds per game and is second with 15.3 points per contest. 
 
Junior guard Renee Stimpert is the catalyzer of the Eagles offense, ranking third in the nation with 7.9 assists per contest while also recording 11.3 points a game. 
 
Wayne State is coming off of an opening conference weekend split, falling to Ferris State before taking down Lake Superior State at home. Nastassja Chambers and Ja'Nae Williams are contributing 13.7 and 12.9 points, respectively, to a Warriors offense that is averaging 62.6 points a game. Williams is also the teams' leading rebounder but is followed closely by Sam Cherney, who is pulling down 8.9 boards while scoring 6.0 points. Alex Matus is also a threat on the offensive end, contributing 9.9 points per game. 
 
The Warriors are the top rebounding team in the league, pulling down 17.0 offensive rebounds, 26.6 defensive rebounds, and 43.6 total rebounds per contest. 
 
GVSU will be back in action on Monday, Dec. 17 at 1:00 PM when they host Central State at home and Wednesday, Dec. 19 when they host Bellarmine at 1:00 PM.