ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State Lakers wrap up regular season play with senior night at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena tomorrow (Feb. 27) when they host the Davenport Panthers at 8:00 PM. Jayden Hodgson, Jeremiah Ferguson and Ben Lubitz will all be honored before the game.
 
The Lakers have already clinched the GLIAC South Division championship, the seventh divisional title in program history and first since switching to the South division. This is also the first divisional crown for the Lakers since the 2009-10 season. A win, coupled by a Ferris State loss to Lake Superior State, would give the Lakers a share of their first GLIAC Regular Season Championship since the 2007-08 season.
 
"Our guys have done a great job of taking things one game at a time and focusing on the process," said head coach Ric Wesley. "Because of our attention to detail and consistent effort, we have accomplished some big goals and still have opportunities for even bigger ones. I'm proud of where we are, but our team knows we still have plenty of work to do."
 
The Lakers are currently ranked 7th in the Midwest Region rankings with one regular season game and the conference tournament remaining for GVSU to bolster their case for the eight-team regional bracket of the NCAA Tournament.
 
Currently, the Lakers hold the 2-seed in the conference tournament, which begins next Tuesday (March 3). If the above scenario plays out, the Lakers would jump Ferris State for the top seed in the conference based on the new tiebreaker point system. A loss, coupled with a win by Michigan Tech at Northern Michigan, could drop the Lakers to thee 3-seed. With a congested middle third of the GLIAC standings, there are a myriad of outcomes for a GLIAC quarterfinal opponent.
 
Grand Valley State is hoping to ride Jake Van Tubbergen to a deep post-season run. The GLIAC Player of the Year candidate seems to be peaking at the right time, scoring over 20 points in each of his last three games, culminating in a GLIAC Player of the Week honor – his sixth of the season – for 66 points, 27 rebounds and four steals in the two road games last week.
 
Van Tubbergen ranks third in the league in scoring average (20.0) and field goal percentage (.556) and leads the conference in rebounding (10.2 RPG) and offensive rebounding (2.7 ORPG). He, along with fellow post presence Christian Negron, have been critical on the defensive end. GVSU leads the GLIAC in overall opponent field goal percentage (.418) despite ranking 10^th out of 12 teams in opponent 3FG% at 36.3.
 
Davenport has battled through injuries much of the season but still sits in the thick of the GLIAC standings, currently in fourth place at 11-8 in GLIAC play. They can finish anywhere between fourth and sixth in the conference, having locked up a spot in the GLIAC Tournament but still fighting for a home quarterfinal. The Panthers had won five of six games before dropping both games in the Upper Peninsula last week, including a heartbreaking overtime loss at Northern Michigan last Saturday.

Despite depleted depth, the Panthers have hung tough over the last month thanks to an innate ability to get to the free throw line, shooting at least 26 free throw attempts in each of their last five games. They are a patient team who's superior depth has been tested this season. They look to build momentum heading into the GLIAC Tournament that begins next Tuesday.
 
With the new point system for tiebreaking in the GLIAC standings, there are any number of scenarios that can play out. The Lakers are focused on controlling what they can; winning their regular season finale. The action begins at 8:00 PM at the GVSU Fieldhouse.