QUARTERFINAL: Stats | Listen | Watch | Tournament Central

ROMEOVILLE, Ill. – The Grand Valley State Lakers are preparing for their first NCAA Tournament game since 2010 as the 8-seeded Lakers get set to face the 1-seed and Midwest Regional host Lewis Flyers in the regional quarterfinals Saturday (March 16) at 6:00 ET (5 PM locally). The Lakers earned the automatic bid by winning the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament. The game can be heard live on ESPN 96.1 FM in Grand Rapids and everywhere on the iHeart app.
 
Cutting down the nets on Sunday was the icing on the cake of a brilliant tournament run that saw the 7-seeded Lakers knock off the 2-seed (and NCAA Tournament bound) Ashland Eagles on the road before a buzzer-beating win over 3-seed Parkside Saturday and taking down the top-seeded Panthers Sunday.
 
After not trailing the entire first half, the Lakers fell behind, 50-41, with 15 minutes to go Sunday. With the packed arena ready to erupt, the road-warrior Lakers responded with a pair of threes to climb back into the game and, eventually, would end the game on an 11-0 run to win, 80-70.
 
That resilience epitomizes the Laker season.
 
GVSU lost four straight games late January to early February and, a once promising 9-2 start to the year, turned into a 12-11 team on the verge of a nosedive to miss the post-season all together. But then the Lakers rattled off four straight wins, clinched a spot in the GLIAC Tournament and, after a three-point loss to the Panthers in the regular season finale, bounced back for their incredible tournament run.
 
The lowest seed in the eight-team Midwest Regional, the Lakers know they're up against another tough test. But they shouldn't be viewed as an underdog. This is a team loaded with transfers that have seemed to click, especially defensively, at the perfect time. The Lakers haven't allowed more than 70 points in eight straight games. Overall, they're 14-2 this year when keeping their opponent to 70 or fewer.
 
Awaiting the Lakers in the regional quarterfinal is the host Lewis Flyers. The GLVC regular season champions are 25-4 on the year and went 15-3 in conference play before falling in overtime in the GLVC Tournament semifinals, which snapped a 12-game winning streak for Lewis. As the top seed, the Flyers get to host the regional and are 11-2 at Neil Carey Arena this season.
 
The Flyers are led by transfer Kendale McCullum, an Illinois native who joined the Flyers from Parkside to become the GLVC Player of the Year in 2018-19. The athletic guard is scoring 16.3 points a game – a team high – while also dishing 184 assists and swiping 84 steals on the year and averaging 5.4 rebounds a contest. He's one of four Flyers averaging double-figures in scoring this season; Delaney Blaylock (14.4), Adam Pischke (11.5) and Donovan Oliver (10.2). The variety of scoring options helps the Flyers score 76.7 points per game as a team while allowing just 68 a contest.
 
GVSU just won an 8-seed vs. 1-seed matchup on the road last Sunday. They'll hope to do so again Saturday night to advance to the regional semifinals, where they would face the winner of 5-seed Ashland vs. 4-seed Southern Indiana. The resiliency and underdog spirit of this GVSU team has them flying high, regardless of the situation. We'll see if they can ground the Flyers Saturday night and keep their dream season alive.