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ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State men's basketball team returns from holiday break to resume Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action against the defending national champions and archrival Ferris State Bulldogs Thursday (Jan. 3) at 8:00 PM. This will be the Lakers' first game since December 18.
 
The Lakers hit the holiday break with a 9-3 overall record, starting GLIAC play 3-1 this season. They won two of their three games during the winter break trip to Illinois and Missouri, claiming the trophy in the Quincy Holiday Classic before a tough loss to Truman State to wrap up 2018. Hunter Hale, who earned Classic MVP honors, was also named GLIAC South Player of the Week.
 
Hale leads the Lakers and ranks sixth in the conference with 16.4 points per game, one of three Lakers averaging double figures this season, and is third in the league in made three-pointers with 33; just one off the lead. The Lakers as a team are third in the league in both scoring (84.9 PPG) and field goal percentage (50.0) – which ranks 20^th nationally. Defensively, their size and athleticism have led to 4.3 blocks per game, good for second in the conference.
 
Ferris State has surged for five straight wins, improving to 10-5 on the season and 2-2 in GLIAC play. The Bulldogs have scored over 100 points in each of their last three games, although none of them were against Division II opponents. The recent scoring onslaught has catapulted the Bulldogs into the GLIAC lead in scoring average (91.3 PPG). A big reason for the uptick in points has been two-sport athlete DeShaun Thrower, who joined the team full-time after football season ended to score 17 points per game across his six played so far in his senior campaign.
 
Historically, the Lakers trail the all-time series 59-51, with the two rivals having played 110 times since the 1967-68 season. The Bulldogs have dominated the series since 2015, winning seven of the eight contests. Last season, though, the Lakers gave the No. 1 team in the nation a scare – leading into the second half before an eventual 87-84 loss at the Fieldhouse. The regular season finale also saw the Lakers in contention late in Big Rapids before free throws down the stretch allowed Ferris State to pull away for an 11-point win.
 
The Lakers are off to one of their best starts in recent history and are looking for a ninth regional win of the season. Last year, the Lakers won ten regional games for the entire season. Coming off a holiday break and hosting the rival Bulldogs will be a big test for just how far the Lakers have come this season.