vs. Ashland (Thursday, Feb. 15, 2018 – 8:00 PM – GVSU Fieldhouse Arena)
Radio: WTKG 1230 AM | Listen
Watch: Video (ESPN3) | Live Stats
Tickets
 
The Grand Valley State women's basketball team is set to host #1 Ashland this Thursday (Feb. 14) inside GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. This is the third game of the Lakers most recent four game home stand, in which they are 2-0 after victories over Wayne State and Davenport last weekend (Feb. 8-10). The Lakers and Eagles previously faced off back on Jan. 11 in Ashland, Ohio where the Eagles earned the 83-67 victory over GVSU. It was a close game all afternoon as GVSU trailed by just six points, 64-58, with 7:40 left in the fourth quarter but a late run by Ashland was too much for the Lakers to overcome. GVSU will enter the contest with a 20-4 overall record and a 13-3 mark in conference play while the Eagles boast a 24-0 overall record and 16-0 record in the GLIAC and bring a 61-game winning streak into the contest.
 
The first NCAA Regional Rankings were released Wednesday (Feb. 14) afternoon, with the Lakers coming in at #5 in the Midwest Region. There are eight regions in Division II and each region will send their top eight teams into the NCAA Tournament. In the Midwest, the Eagles lead the way and are followed by Drury (22-0 against DII opponents, 21-2 in the region), Southern Indiana (19-2, 19-2), Michigan Tech (20-3, 20-2), and GVSU (18-4, 18-4) to round the top five. Cedarville (17-4, 17-4), Lewis (19-5, 18-4), and Ursuline (18-6, 18-6) round out the top eight teams that would make the tournament.
 
Just like their last meeting, the Lakers will enter the contest as the #1 ranked defense in the GLIAC while the Eagles will bring their #1 ranked offense. Further, the Eagles offense is also the #1 ranked scoring team in the country while the Lakers boast the #8 ranked defense in the country. GVSU is giving up just 54.5 points per contest while the Eagles are scoring 102.9 points per game to lead the country. Conversely, the Lakers offense is scoring 70.3 points per game while Ashland is giving up 62.9 points a contest.
 
Despite their polar opposite strong suites, the Lakers and Eagles will enter the contest with many similarities. Both teams have a knack for forcing teams into turnovers, as the Lakers are forcing 18.3 per game and the Eagles are forcing 29.5 per game, which ranks third and first in the conference, respectively. The teams are also similar in their fondness for the deep ball. The Eagles lead the league in made 3-pointers with 199, while the Lakers are right behind in second place with 180 makes this season. The teams are also very close in rebounding, with the Lakers pulling down 38.0 per game compared to the Eagles at 39.7. Both teams also average just about 3.5 blocks per contest as well.
 
Much of what makes the Eagles a great offensive team is where the Lakers defense actually excels the most. Ashland is shooting an impressive 52.4% from the field as a team but the Lakers are allowing opponent's to shoot just 37.7% from the field. Similarly, Ashland is hitting 40.5% of their three's this season but GVSU opponents' are shooting a measly 26.3% from beyond the arc, which is 12th best in the country.
 
GVSU is entering the contest having held eight of their last eight opponents to 70 points or less and seven of those eight to 60 points or less while the Eagles have scored 100+ points in that time frame. The last time these teams played, the Lakers held Ashland to nearly 30 points below their season average but also coughed up a season-high in turnovers.
 
The Lakers and Eagles are both proven as top-tier teams in the conference, but both boast some great individual athletes as well. Jenn DeBoer, Taylor Parmley, and Natalie Koenig are all averaging 10+ points per game for the Lakers, led by DeBoer with 13.3 and is followed by Parmley at 12.1 and Koenig at 10.1. Sophomore Cassidy Boensch is coming off of a GLIAC Player of the Week honor and is averaging 9.5 points and 6.0 rebounds in just 17.2 minutes per game. Boensch also ranks second in the conference in field goal percentage, hitting 60.0% of her shots. Senior Korynn Hincka has also been big for the Lakers, averaging 9.5 points and 7.0 rebounds to go along with 34 steals and 18 blocks. For the Eagles, they are paced by Laina Snyder (19.5ppg) who is followed closely by Jodi Johnson (19.0ppg), Andi Daugherty (14.3ppg), and Maddie Dackin (12.0 ppg). Ashland is also the top team in the GLIAC when it comes to assists with Renee Stimpert leading the way with 6.8 assists per game.
 
Following Thursday's contest, the Lakers will look ahead to Saturday (Feb. 17) as they host Tiffin in their last home game of the season. As with year's past, Saturday's game will act as the Lakers senior day where both Taylor Parmley and Korynn Hincka will be honored for their time spent in a Laker uniform over the last four years. Tipoff for that game is set for 3:00 PM.