SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State Lakers' season came to a close Wednesday in a 73-65 loss to the Lake Superior State Lakers in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament quarterfinals at Bud Cooper Gymnasium. The seven-seed Lakers finish the season 14-15 overall after going 9-11 in conference play. Lake Superior State improves to 25-6 on the year and advance to the semifinals Saturday in Big Rapids, Michigan.
 
The Lakers were burned by a 90-second stretch at the tail end of the first half that sunk them into a hole that proved too large to overcome. After the teams traded leads the entire half, the Lakers found themselves trailing, 23-22, when they turned the ball over three times in the final minute and a half of the period and saw Lake State end the half on an 8-0 run to open a nine-point lead at halftime. Three times the Lakers battled back within four points in the second half but could get no closer.
 
GVSU shot .471 from the floor in the game, including a .567 clip in the second half, while Lake State shot .421 for the contest. The Lakers hit 3-13 threes and 14-17 free throws compared to Lake State's 5-19 from down town and 20-25 free throw shooting. GVSU pulled down four more rebounds than LSSU but turned the ball over eight times compared to just two by Lake State.
 
Hunter Hale finished with nine points and 10 rebounds for the game. His rebound total matched a career high and he hit one three in the contest, giving him 67 made threes on the season. That total ties him for eighth all-time on the single season list in GVSU history. Myles Miller led the team with 13 points in his final game of his four-year Laker career. Justin Greason finished with 10 points in 19 minutes, ensuring the Lakers had at least two players score in double figures in all 29 games this season.
 
Akaemji Williams led all scorers with 24 points, going 10-17 from the floor for Lake State. The senior had the answer each time the Lakers got within four in the second half, hitting big shots all night. Tim Carinduff finished with 13 points and seven rebounds, hitting three three-pointers for the game and two during the 8-0 run to close out the first half.
 
Grand Valley State reached the GLIAC Tournament for the 13^th time in 14 seasons under head coach Ric Wesley. The Lakers, who started the conference season 0-4, rebounded for a strong spring semester to clinch a berth with a week to spare. With Zach West and Justin Greason poised to step into leadership roles while the sharp-shooting Hale is joined by fellow sophomores like Ben Lubitz and exciting freshman Jake Van Tubbergen, the future is bright as the Lakers turn their attention to the 2018-19 season.