Box Score ALLENDALE, Mich. -- The Grand Valley State Lakers erased a 12-point deficit in the first half to storm away with a convincing 76-58 win over the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals in the 2021 season opener Saturday afternoon at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. Four Lakers scored in double figures to give GVSU a 1-0 start to the year while Saginaw Valley drops to 0-1. 

Newcomer Jordan Harris made a splash in his Laker debut, dropping 21 points on 10-16 shooting with five rebounds and a pair of steals from his point guard position. Christian Negron picked up right where he left off last year, recording a double-double with 12 points and 11 rebounds while swatting a pair. Jake Van Tubbergen stuffed the box score with nine points, six rebounds and six assists, which matched his career high. 

"I was really pleased with the way we moved the ball and found open looks for each other," head coach Ric Wesley said. "For the limited amount of work we've been able to do in practice and all the obstacles leading up to this game, I thought our guys played with a ton of energy on defense and put ourselves in position to make shots on offense."

The Lakers shot .508 from the field for the game, including a .575 clip in the second half, while holding the Cardinals to just a .351 clip for the game. After a 7-2 lead to start the game, the Lakers saw an 11-11 tie turn into a 12-point deficit. A big three from Harris sparked a 12-0 for GVSU to tie things up and after a big and-one conversion by Negron, the Lakers would take a 36-30 lead into the break.

After half it was all Lakers as they rattled off 12 straight points to open up an insurmountable lead. Deleon Brown flashed his athleticism with some beautiful takes to the basket as part of a 13-point performance in his Laker debut. Isaac Gassman knocked down a pair of threes to help the Lakers run away in a 10-point, eight-rebound effort with a pair of steals.

The Lakers and Cardinals will face off again Sunday at 3:00 PM. The game is available via live stream on watchgvsn.com and the WatchGVSN app, can be heard on ESPN 96.1 and the iHeart app and live stats are available through GVSULakers.com. For even more behind the scenes coverage, highlights and more, follow @GVSUBasketball on Twitter and Instagram.