MARQUETTE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State Lakers fell to the Northern Michigan Wildcats, 85-75, Saturday afternoon in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action at the Berry Events Center. Four Lakers scored in double figures, led by 16 points from Ben Lubitz while Jake Van Tubbergen finished a rebound shy of a double-double. The Lakers are now 11-11 on the year and 6-8 in the GLIAC while Northern Michigan improves to 13-8 overall and 10-4 in the league.
 
The Lakers shot .528 from the field for the game, including 5-12 from three and 14-20 from the free throw line. Northern Michigan shot an even .500 from the floor, going 12-27 from three and 17-24 from the stripe. Each team finished the game with 30 rebounds, with exactly eight offensive boards and 22 defensive rebounds by both sides. The Lakers turned the ball over 12 times while the Wildcats did so eight.
 
Lubitz went 7-9 from the floor for his 16 points. Van Tubbergen knocked down five free throws as part of his 14 points and team-high nine rebounds. Drake Baar added 14 points, 10 of which came in the first half, and Myles Miller added 13 points. Naba Echols hit four three-pointers to lead the Wildcats with 20 points, one of five Northern Michigan players to finish in double figures. Will Carius also drained four threes as he added 18 points for the Wildcats.
 
The Lakers came out hot, with four different players scoring to help the team out to an 8-2 lead. Lubitz then drained a three and collected an offensive rebound for a put-back dunk as the Lakers opened up a 15-6 lead seven minutes into the game. Lance Dollison came off the bench and drained a pair of threes in a two-minute span and the Lakers went up 23-12 at the midway point of the first half.
 
Northern Michigan chipped away over the next few minutes. Will Carius knocked down a three, stole the ball on the ensuing possession, and drained another triple to cut the Laker lead to 25-23 wit 6:30 left in the first half. Hale and Van Tubbergen answered with three-pointers of their own and GVSU regained a ten-point lead with just under five minutes left in the first. The Wildcats hit a pair of threes but Van Tubbergen knocked down a pair of free throws and Drake Baar made a couple of shots in the final minute of the period to help the Lakers to a 41-32 lead after 20 minutes.
 
Myles Miller made a layup to open the second half and push the Laker lead to ten, but the Wildcats responded and whittled down the GVSU lead to 44-40 five minutes into the second half. The Wildcats kept the pressure on, eventually taking their first lead, 53-50, with just under 12 minutes to play. A pair of turnover led to two more baskets and a 58-50 deficit, forcing a Laker timeout. The Lakers were able to keep even the rest of the way, but couldn't erase the deficit.
 
The Lakers return to action on Thursday, February 8, in the final Downtown Thursday of the season at 6:00 PM against Wayne State. Tickets are available at gvsulakers.com and the game will be broadcast live on ESPN3 and ESPN 96.1 FM and the iHeart app.