The Grand Valley State women's basketball team fell in a hard-fought overtime battle with #1 Ashland, 96-90, on Thursday (Feb. 15) night inside GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers took a 41-39 lead into the half and a 68-63 lead into the fourth before being outscored 24-16 in the fourth and 12-6 in overtime. With the loss, the Lakers fall to 20-5 overall and 13-4 in the GLIAC while the Eagles improve to 25-0 and 17-0 in conference play and extend their winning streak to 62 games.
 

GVSU shot 46.2% from the field and an even better 48.0% from beyond the arc as they tallied 12 3-pointers in the contest en route to their season-high 90 points scored. While the game did go into OT, the Lakers still held the Eagles below their season scoring average, while also holding them below their season average in field goal percentage as well. The only place on the stat sheet the Eagles held a wide advantage was turnovers and the points that came with them. AU forced GVSU into 19 turnovers that they converted into 20 points while GVSU managed to poke the ball away five times for six points. GVSU did hold a huge 50-28 margin in the rebounding department – including an 18-7 lead in offensive boards – which turned into 23 second chance points for the Lakers compared to Ashland's nine.
 
Scoring came from all over the floor, as the teams hit a combined 25 3-pointers while also scoring 64 of the games points in the paint (GV 34, AU 30). This lead to a back and forth game all night long with 16 lead changes, 15 ties, and each team holding a lead in the last three and a half minutes in overtime.
 
Not only did the Lakers post a valiant team effort, they had some impressive individual efforts as well. Both Natalie Koenig and Cassidy Boensch set new career-highs with 26 and 23 points, respectively, while Korynn Hincka tallied 14 and Victoria Hedemark added 11 of her own. Three different Lakers pulled down eight rebounds (Maddie Dailey, Hincka, and Megan Belke), while Taylor Parmley and Boensch added seven apiece as well. The Lakers seemed like they couldn't miss at times, with Boensch going 10-13 from the field, Hedemark going 3-of-3 from three, and Hincka going 4-of-6 for three.
 
Everyone knew it was going to be a good one from the start, as the teams went nearly bucket for bucket to open the first quarter. Jumpers from Ashland's Renee Stimpert and Koenig got the scoring started before Hincka and AU's Laina Snyder would hit back to back jumpers again to tie the game at 4-4 just a minute and a half into play. GVSU took a brief 8-4 lead after a three from Dailey was followed by a Parmley free throw but AU quickly stopped the small run with a three of their own. Neither team would lead by more than three for the rest of the quarter, as both offenses were hot to start. AU would take the 18-17 lead into the second however.
 
Once again the teams just traded jumpers and three-pointers with rare misses barely even phasing either team. With just about half the time off the clock, the teams were tied 31-all before GVSU would take the briefest of four point leads with 3:30 to go. By the 2:00 minute mark, the game was knotted again, this time at 37, before a jumper with six seconds left from Koenig gave the Lakers the 41-39 lead heading into the half.
 
The Lakers got off to a slow start in the third quarter, as the Eagles quickly built up a six point lead just two minutes into play. GVSU would quickly close the gap however with a couple of threes before a couple of Boensch free throws cut the AU lead to just one with 5:26 to go in the third. The Lakers kept the pedal down following a brief 53-52 deficit and used a 13-2 run to take a ten point lead with 2:07 to go. Ashland managed to cut into the lead slightly before the quarter ended however, and GVSU walked into the fourth up 68-60.
 
Both teams started the fourth quarter slow, and GVSU held onto a 73-67 lead at the 5:46 mark. Ashland, much like they have done all season, slowly started to chop away at the Lakers lead and took a 77-75 lead at the 3:14 mark. The teams would go back and forth for the final three minutes of the quarter but a couple of three's from the Lakers kept them in it and forced overtime with the game tied 84-84 when the clocks stuck zero.
 
With under a minute played in overtime, GVSU built up a four point lead but once again, the Eagles didn't break and eventually walked away with the 96-90 final score.
 
The Lakers will be back in action Saturday afternoon (Feb. 16) as they are set to host Tiffin in their final home game of the season. As per usual, GVSU will celebrate their two seniors – Hincka and Parmley – for the time and contributions in a Laker uniform before their 3:00 PM game.