vs. Ferris State (Saturday, March 3, 4:00 PM – Ashland, Ohio)
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The Grand Valley State women's basketball team is set for their GLIAC Tournament Semifinal bout against the Ferris State Bulldogs tomorrow afternoon (Mar. 3) in Ashland, Ohio. Tipoff for the game is slated for 4:00 PM following the other semifinal matchup between host school Ashland and Northwood. The winner of each semifinal game advances to the conference championship game on Sunday, March 4 at 3:00 PM. GVSU, the #3 seed, will enter the contest boasting a 24-5 overall record and a 16-4 mark against GLIAC teams while Ferris State, the #7 seed, owns a 15-14 overall record and an 8-12 record in the conference. This will be the third time the Lakers and Bulldogs have met this season, with GVSU holding the 2-0 advantage.
 
While the Lakers focus is currently on the Bulldogs and the GLIAC Tournament, they are also in a good spot in regards to the NCAA Division II National Tournament. In the latest regional poll, released on Feb. 28, the Lakers were ranked fifth in the Midwest Region. The top-eight teams from each of the eight divisions make up the 64-team postseason tournament field. The NCAA has announced that the selection show for the field will be on Sunday, March 4th at 10:00 PM (EST).
 
In the teams' first meeting, the Lakers earned a 19-point victory, 76-57, inside GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. In that game, guards Jenn DeBoer and Natalie Koenig exploded for 19 points apiece, while combining to hit 9-of-18 three-pointers. Sophomore forward Maddie Dailey also chipped in an 11-point performance while Cassidy Boensch and Taylor Parmley each pulled down a team-leading seven boards. The second meeting between the Lakers and Bulldogs took place less than a week ago, as they faced off on the final day of the regular season (Feb. 24) in Big Rapids, Mich. That game also came out in favor of the Lakers, 77-64, but was a much closer game than the first, as the Lakers led by just one point around the eight-minute mark before finding some last-minute offense to secure the victory. Cassidy Boensch had a career day against the Bulldogs, scoring 32 points and pulling down 12 boards – both new career-high's – while Koenig had another big 19-point performance after nailing 11 free throws.
 
The Lakers fought their way into the semifinal matchup with a solid, if not low-scoring, victory over a tough Northern Michigan team on Wednesday night (Feb. 28). GVSU's 58-40 victory over the Wildcats marked the eighth time this season the Laker defense has held an opponent to under 45 points, which has propelled them to the eight best team in the country in defensive scoring at 54.5 points per game.
 
That stout defense will be put to the test on Saturday however, as the Bulldogs own the second-best scoring offense in the GLIAC at 76.0 points per game. Leading FSU's high-powered offense is senior forward Rachel McInerney, who ranks fourth in the league in scoring at 16.7 ppg. McInerney is also the GLIAC's top rebounder, pulling down 9.7 boards per game. Fellow senior Leah Humes is also having a solid offensive year for the Bulldogs. The guard is averaging 10.3 points per game while also ranking second on the squad in assists per game. Ferris State's main facilitator is junior Alexis Bush, who is averaging just over three helpers per game.
 
Despite their huge successes on the defensive end, that hasn't stopped this Laker squad from creating a formidable offense as well. GVSU is averaging 71.3 points per contest and are led by DeBoer (12.7 ppg), Boensch (11.4 ppg), and Koenig (11.2 ppg) in scoring. While DeBoer and Koenig have been solid offensive options all season, Boensch has stepped her game up to the next level after an injury thrust her into the starting lineup just a few weeks ago. In that time, Boesnch has earned back-to-back-to-back GLIAC North Division Player of the Week awards and was also named the USBWA National Player of the Week last week. That's not the only firepower that the Lakers have though, as senior Korynn Hincka has averaged around 10-points all season and leads the team in rebounding while fellow starter Maddie Dailey is shooting a cool 34.2% from beyond the arc to round out the Lakers starting five. The Lakers have the luxury of having some proven players coming off the bench as well. Redshirt sophomore Victoria Hedemark is only averaging 19.4 minutes per game, but she currently leads the squad in steals with 48 on the season and has a knack for hitting big three's. Megan Belke is also shooting nearly 50% from the field, including a 45.5% mark from beyond the arc.
 
Again, the winner of tomorrow's game will move on to the conference tournament championship game against the winner of Ashland and Northwood on Sunday (Mar. 4) at 3:00 PM.