ALLENDALE, Mich. – A tip-back layup with under five seconds to go was the dagger in Grand Valley State's 80-79 overtime loss to Wisconsin-Parkside Saturday afternoon in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers drop to 12-11 on the season and 6-9 in conference play.
 
Jeremiah Ferguson and Jake Van Tubbergen each scored 20 points for the Lakers in the loss. For Ferguson it was a new season high in scoring to go along with six rebounds and four assists. Isaiah Brock recorded eight points and 11 rebounds to go along with three blocks and three steals.
 
The Lakers stormed back from a 35-30 halftime deficit to take a nine-point lead five minutes into the second half. Parkside would battle back to make it a one possession game for the entirety of the final five minutes of action. Jake Van Tubbergen hit a three-pointer with just over a minute left in regulation and the GVSU defense came up with a stop.
 
With :36 to go, the Lakers turned the ball over and gave Parkside another chance at tying the game. With just six seconds left, Parkside drilled a corner three to tie the game. It was just their second made three in eight attempts in the half. A Hunter Hale runner at the buzzer just missed to force overtime for the second time for the Lakers this season.
 
The see-saw tilt continued through the extra period, with both teams trading blows. Van Tubbergen hit free throws to put the Lakers up, 79-78, with 20 seconds to go, but Parkside got a tip-back from a falling Joey St. Pierre after a missed layup with 3.5 seconds left put the Rangers in front and the Lakers couldn't get down the court to get a shot away in time to try and answer.
 
The Lakers remain penciled into the eight seed despite the loss Saturday. They hit the road for a pair of critical matchups for post-season positioning this week in the final two away games of the regular season. The Lakers take on Saginaw Valley State on Thursday (Feb. 14) at 8:00 PM in University Center, Michigan. The game can be heard live on ESPN 96.1 FM in Grand Rapids or worldwide on the iHeart app while @GVSUBasketball will provide live, in-game updates.