ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 24 Grand Valley State Lakers hit the road for the final GLIAC competitions of the 2021 calendar year this week as they travel west to take on the Purdue Northwest Pride in Hammond, Indiana on Thursday (Dec. 9) at 8 ET/7 CT and the Parkside Rangers Saturday (Dec. 11) at 4 ET/3 CT in Kenosha, Wisconsin.
 
After a disappointing loss last Thursday, letting an 18-point lead escape in the second half, the Lakers bounced back to beat the defending GLIAC champions in Wayne State on Saturday to split opening weekend of conference play and now sit at 6-1 overall and 1-1 in the league.
 
Jake Van Tubbergen recorded a double-double in the win to give him a sixth in seven games so far this season while Christian Negron continued his defensive dominance with seven blocks in the two games to give him a league-best 17 so far this season. He also picked up his first double-double of the season on Thursday.
 
The Lakers visit John Friend Court in Hammond, Indiana Thursday to face the 3-6 Purdue Northwest Pride. The Pride played tough on the road at Lake Superior State and Ferris State last week, but fell in both of their opening GLIAC games. Through nine games, the Pride average 81.2 points per game but allow 82.9, indicating some track meets in the early season. They also average over 40 rebounds as a team this season, which will test the Lakers' streak of not being outrebounded by their opponent yet this season.
 
Jyrus Freels is a veteran leader and physically imposing, averaging over 12 points and seven rebounds a game while Anthony Barnard has proven himself a scoring threat from both in the post and from outside.
 
The Lakers will then travel to Parkside to face the Rangers, who host Davenport Thursday night. A preview of that game will be available Friday (Dec. 10). Both games this weekend will air on The Ticket West Michigan (1340 AM in Grand Rapids) and gvsulakers.com and @GVSUBasketball on Twitter will have live coverage links and updates.