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CALEDONIA, Mich. – The Grand Valley State Lakers look to get back above .500 in GLIAC play and knock off their conference neighbors in a Saturday (Jan. 26) showdown against the Davenport Panthers at 3:00 PM at the Davenport Student Center. The cross-town foes are the only conference team the Lakers are yet to face this season.
Grand Valley State enters the weekend 11-7 overall and 5-5 in GLIAC play, coming off two tough losses in the Upper Peninsula last weekend. The longest trip of the season kicked off this five-game road swing, which continues Saturday with the team closest in proximity to Allendale in the Panthers.
Despite this long slate of road games, the Lakers are looking to stay in the thick of the congested GLIAC standings. As the entire league reaches the midway point this weekend, the three-through-nine seeds are all separated by just two games. The Lakers sit tied for sixth in the overall standings heading into the weekend.
The Lakers have plenty to be excited about as they make the turn. They continue to rank among the league-leaders in field goal percentage as a team. Individually,
Hunter Hale continues to be one of the best three-point shooters and overall scorers in the league. His 50 made three-pointers is second in the GLIAC and his 17.5 scoring average ranks fifth in the league.
Davenport is currently second in the GLIAC with a 7-3 conference record to go along with a 14-3 overall mark. In their second season transitioning from the NAIA ranks, the Panthers are ineligible for the NCAA Tournament this season, so they have their sights set on a conference crown as the pinnacle of their 2018-19 campaign.
Guard play has been the key to Burt Paddock's team. A big shot in the arm for the Panthers this season has been redshirt senior Dyllon Hudson-Emory, who transferred from Division II Holy Family after the 2016-17 season and sat out a year ago. In his first and only season with the Panthers, Hudson-Emory is fourth in the league in scoring average (18.1) while his 121 made field goals ranks first and 109 total rebounds are ninth. Avery Hudson continues to provide a deep threat, leading the GLIAC with 53 three-pointers and second in three percentage (48.6). He's also second in the GLIAC in both assists (104) and steals (40) while ranking ninth in the league in scoring average (16.2)
If the Lakers can neutralize the Davenport guards and stay out of foul trouble with their bigs, GVSU will be in a great position to knock off the Panthers on the road. GVSU is 3-1 all-time against the Panthers, including a split of last season's meetings in the first year of Division II for Davenport.
Both home teams won last season's matchups. In the game in Caledonia, the Laker offense was non-existent in the first half and GVSU was down by 15 at halftime, but they rallied all the way back within three points with under four minutes left before eventually falling to the Panthers. The Lakers look for a different result this time around as they try to avoid falling below .500 in conference play for what would be the first time this season.
