ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 17 Grand Valley State Lakers held on for a 67-65 win over the Lake Superior State Lakers Saturday (Jan. 4) afternoon at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena in front of 1,840 fans. The Lakers improve to 11-2 on the season and 4-1 in GLIAC play while Lake State falls to 6-7 on the season and 3-2 in league action. GVSU travels to Ashland on Thursday. GVSU is now 16-2 lifetime at home against Lake Superior State.
 
Four Lakers scored in double figures, led by a career-best 24 points from Isaac Gassman. Christian Negron (14), Jeremiah Ferguson (11) and Ben Lubitz (10) also double-digits. Jake Van Tubbergen fell short of the 10-point mark for the first time this season, scoring seven, but did snag 10 rebounds. Negron also had four blocks and seven rebounds while Jayden Hodgson dished eight assists.
 
With the Lakers clinging to a one-point lead with a minute left, after staving off a ferocious Lake State comeback, Gassman drilled his fourth three-pointer of the day to put Grand Valley State up by four late and force the free-throw game to close out the win.
 
The Lakers hit five straight threes down the stretch of the first half and opened a 14-point lead at halftime and would lead by as many as 16 points in the second half, but Lake State chipped away at the lead. GVSU would see their lead trimmed to six early in the second half, but the Lakers would answer with a 7-0 run of their own. The half would be more of the same with GVSU continuously doing just enough to prevent the full comeback.
 
With a loss by Ferris State, the Lakers are once again tied for first place in the GLIAC. They travel to Ashland to face the Eagles on Thursday (Jan. 9) at 7:30 PM. Ashland is seeking their first conference win of the season. The game can be heard live on ESPN 96.1 FM in Grand Rapids and everywhere on the iHeart app.