ASHLAND, Ohio – The No. 23 Grand Valley State Lakers men's basketball fell for the first time in 2021 in a 65-61 loss to the Ashland Eagles Saturday (Jan. 16) night at Kates Gymnasium. The Lakers drop to 3-1 in the GLIAC while Ashland moves to 2-3 overall and 2-2 in the conference.
 
Deleon Brown led the Lakers with 17 points while Isaac Gassman (12 points) and Jordan Harris (10 points) both also scored in double-figures for GVSU. Christian Negron snagged nine rebounds and blocked four shots for the day.
 
Brown drilled a three with :48 left to tie the game at 59-59, but Brandon Haraway responded with an Eagle three to put Ashland back in front for good.
 
The Lakers trailed by two-to-three scores for much of the first half before a 10-2 run over the final five minutes gave them a four-point lead with under a minute to go until the break, drawing several fouls and earning seven trips to the free throw line, converting on all of them. Ashland would respond with a mini 5-0 run to close the half with a 32-31 advantage.
 
Ashland again started to pull away early in the second, but a 6-0 run by the Lakers got them back within three, 47-44, at the halfway point of the period. The game would remain tight the rest of the way, with the Eagles pulling out the home win to earn a split of the weekend series.
 
GVSU begins a five-game homestand next weekend when they host Parkside, beginning Friday at 3 PM. The game will be available to watch live on the Grand Valley Sports Network, listen on EsPN 96.1 FM or follow live stats through gvsulakers.com