ASHLAND, Ohio – The No. 18 Grand Valley State Lakers held on for a 69-63 road win over the Ashland Eagles Thursday (Jan. 9) night at Kates Gymnasium. The Lakers improve to 12-2 overall and 5-1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC).
 
The Laker defense was stifling, holding Ashland to just .346 from the floor, including a .269 clip in the first half. Offensively, three Lakers scored in double figures; Jeremiah Ferguson led the way with 19 points while Ben Lubitz scored 14 points off the bench and Jake Van Tubbergen added 13 points and seven rebounds.
 
The Lakers jumped out to a hot start with the first seven points of the game. The Eagles willed themselves back to a 9-9, but Lubitz would answer with a three to regain the lead. He hit three of them in the first half to help the Lakers open an 18-point lead with a minute left to go in the period. The Eagles cut it down by four before the break, but the Lakers took a 36-22 lead into the locker room.
 
The Eagles would find a rhythm in the second half thanks to a couple threes from Rodrick Caldwell and a strong inside presence from Drew Noble; the Eagles got to the free throw line 15 times in the second half. Their play would salt the Lakers lead all the way down, tying the game 56-56. Ferguson would drill a three, then after a Laker stop, streak inside for a layup to open a 5-point lead and the Lakers held on down the stretch for the win.
 
GVSU is back in action Saturday (Jan. 11) when they travel to Detroit to face the Wayne State Warriors at 7:00 PM. The game will air on ESPN 96.1 FM and the iHeart app.