ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State Lakers continues to battle for forty minutes but fell to the defending National Champion Ferris State Bulldogs, 86-79, Thursday (Jan. 3) in the resumption of Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play. The Lakers drop back-to-back games for the first time this season and fall to 9-4 overall and 3-2 in the GLIAC while Ferris State improves to 11-5 on the year and 3-2 in conference play.
The Lakers shot .463 (25-54), including 6-12 from three and 23-27 from the free throw line. Ferris was held to a .318 (14-44) clip from the floor, going 11-23 from the three and 25-34 from the free throw line.
Jake Van Tubbergen led the Laker attack with his third double-double of the year, scoring 18 points, collecting 10 rebounds and recording four blocks – all in the first half - and four steals.
The Bulldogs jumped out to the first five points of the game before the Lakers, playing for the first time since December 18, continued to grind before eventually tying the game, 12-12, when Van Tubbergen stole the ball and went the distance for a layup. Moments later,
Hunter Hale hit a mid-range jumper to give the Lakers their first lead of the game seven minutes in.
The teams would stay within two points of each other over the next five minutes, trading a pair of leads, before
Jeremiah Ferguson drilled a three – one of three on the day for the junior – to open up a four-point lead, which would prove to be the largest of the day for the Lakers. Ferris State would respond with a 14-0 run to push their lead to double digits and would never trail again.
The Lakers fought valiantly, trimming the deficit to eight at the break. Trailing the whole second half, the Lakers were down nine with six minutes to go. A pair of free throws and another three from Ferguson led to an
Isaiah Brock two-handed dunk that got GVSU back within three. But Ferris answered with a quick three-pointer and followed it up with an and-one, three-point play to pull back up nine. With under :30 left and all hope seemingly lost,
Demetrius Lake drilled back-to-back threes, part of his season-best, 12-point performance, to give the Lakers hope. It would be too little, too late, though, as Ferris State ran out the remainder of the clock.
GVSU looks to bounce back Saturday (Jan. 5) as they travel up to Sault Ste. Marie, Michigan to face the Lake Superior State Lakers. Tipoff is set for 3:00 PM and the game can be heard live on ESPN 96.1 while GVSULakers.com provides links to live stats and @GVSUBasketball provides Twitter updates.
