MIDLAND, Mich. – The No. 18 Grand Valley State Lakers fell in another down-to-the-wire affair, 67-64 to the Northwood Timberwolves Saturday (Feb. 15) night at Riepma Arena. The Lakers had a look from three for a tie as the horn sounded, but the shot clanged off the back of the rim to drop the Lakers to 20-5 overall and 13-4 in GLIAC play. Three of the four of the Lakers' conference losses have come by one possession.
 
Jake Van Tubbergen scored 23 points while Christian Negron muscled in 14 points, 15 rebounds and five blocks despite the loss. Northwood was 11-16 from beyond the arc for the game, including some tightly-contested triples at the end of possession clocks late in regulation.
 
Grand Valley State jumped out to a 20-12 lead midway through the opening period, but an eight-minute scoring drought allowed Northwood to rattle off 13 unanswered points to take a 25-20 lead. The teams would trade buckets down the stretch with the Timberwolves holding a 27-26 lead at intermission.
 
Out of the break, GVSU looked to have things sorted out. They jumped out to a 47-40 lead and were on the precipice of running away with the game. Northwood willed themselves back into the game with two tough buckets, then those dagger threes a few minutes later opened a 56-51 lead. The Lakers would get back within one possession and stay within striking distance all the way until the final horn.
 
The Lakers, who are now tied for the top spot in the GLIAC with Ferris State with three games to go, travel to Marquette, Michigan to face Northern Michigan on Thursday (Feb. 20) at 5:30 PM. The game can be heard in ESPN 96.1 FM in West Michigan and everywhere on the iHeart app.