vs. TBD - NCAA Midwest Region Semifinal (Saturday, March 16 - 5:00 PM CST / 6:00 PM EST)
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The No. 3-seed Grand Valley State women's basketball team was lights out against the No. 6-seed Truman Bulldogs as the Lakers ran away with an 89-64 victory in the NCAA Midwest Region Quarterfinal inside the O'Reilly Event Center on the campus of Drury University in Springfield, Mo. The Lakers will now face the winner of No. 2-seed Lewis and No. 7-seed Walsh, who play the second of four quarterfinal games this afternoon (March 15). That game will be at 5:00 PM CST / 6:00 PM EST tomorrow afternoon. 
 
The Lakers used the three-headed monster of Cassidy Boensch, Victoria Hedemark, and Maddie Dailey – who combined for 74 of the Lakers 89 points in the contest. Boensch, the GLIAC Player of the Year, led the way with a 27-point, five-rebound, two block performance as she was 11-for-17 from the field and 5-for-6 from the charity stripe. Hedemark wasn't far behind her teammate, as she scored a career-high 26 points on 11-of-15 shooting, including a 3-for-4 performance from beyond the arc. Junior Maddie Dailey rounded out the 20-point trio, as she went for 21 and was nearly perfect from three, going 5-for-6 after finishing the first half 5-for-5 from deep. She also added two blocks to tie Boensch for the team and game lead. 
 
As a team, they shot a blistering 58.3% (35-of-60) from the field and were an even 50.0% (9-18) from beyond the arc. Despite their nine triples however, they also dominated in the paint, outscoring the Bulldogs 52-26 down low. 
 
Despite the impressive offensive showing, the Laker defense was stout all afternoon long and held the Bulldogs nearly 10 points below their season average as they shot just 36.1% from the field and 29.6% from deep. 
 
Truman would take an early 5-3 lead on the Lakers but a huge 15-2 run by the Lakers would put them up 17-7 with 2:29 to go. Jenn DeBoer opened up the big scoring run with a layup before Hedemark would put down one of her own and Dailey would hit back to back threes. Boensch would then hit back to back layups to end the rout. Hedemark would score five more points and Boensch two as the Lakers would take a 14-point lead, 24-10, after one. 
 
The teams would go shot for shot to start the second as the Lakers lead would be 12 before Dailey would splash down back to back threes to blow it out to an 18-point lead and force a Bulldog timeout. Dailey and Hedemark would combined for six of the Lakers last eight points of the quarter as they would go into the half up 24, 49-25. 
 
It would be an even third quarter that was full of offense as the Lakers would wind up with the slight 27-24 advantage by the time it was over. Hedemark would get the Lakers scoring started but it would be DeBoer and Boensch who kept it going as the duo went back and forth on four straight Laker layups as the Lakers lead would be 59-33 with 6:57 to go. The Grand Valley State bench would be sent into a frenzy when Hedemark would draw an and-1 layup before Boensch did the same thing twice in a row as the three and-1 tries would put the Lakers up 30, 68-38. Hedemark would draw yet another and-1 layup with 1:10 to go and GVSU's lead would be 27 heading into the final quarter, 76-49. 
 
Despite it being a playoff game, the large lead the Lakers built up in the first three quarters would allow them to get their starters some early rest and some reserve players some crucial playing time. Freshman Brooke McKinley would knock down a three with 4:10 to go before Anja Smith would hit a layup and drain two free throws to end the scoring for the Lakers as they would win 89-64. 
 
Again, the Lakers will be playing tomorrow afternoon at 5:00 PM in the NCAA Midwest Region Semifinal against the winner of the Lewis and Walsh matchup.