ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Grand Valley State men's basketball team battled tough, but fell down the stretch, 83-76, to Ferris State Thursday (Jan. 13) night in front of a packed crowd of 1,605 at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers fall to 9-3 on the season and 3-2 in GLIAC play with another tough contest this Saturday (Jan. 15) at home against Lake Superior State at 3 PM.
 
The Lakers hadn't played a game since December 31 thanks to COVID-19 postponements with their last two opponents. They hadn't played a D-II opponent since December 20, so the legs were bound to be tested against one of the best scoring offenses in the country. The Lakers dug deep and got a great team effort to keep pace in a high-intensity game.
 
The contest was tight throughout and was a one-point game with four minutes left in regulation, but three consecutive threes by Ferris State was the dagger as the Lakers couldn't come up with enough fire power down the stretch to match, playing without Jake Van Tubbergen for much of the second half after he exited with injury after 17 points and 12 rebounds in just 20 minutes on the floor.
 
After Ferris opened with three straight three-pointers, the Laker defense clamped down to allow just one more make on their next eight attempts to claw back and take a 24-23 lead. The teams traded buckets down the stretch with Ferris opening a five-point lead, 41-36, at the half.
 
The back-and-forth continued in the second. The Bulldogs extended their lead to 49-42 early in the half, but the Lakers answered with a 9-2 run with four straight made field goals, including a big-time three from Ethan Alderink to open a 51-49 lead. The game remained within five points either way until that four-minute mark, when the barrage of threes put the game away.
 
Alderink scored a career-high eight points with three rebounds in 13 minutes on the floor. Deleon Brown contributed a season-best 17 points and a pair of blocks on the defensive end. Christian Negron had nine points and ten boards with three blocks while Jordan Harris stuffed the stat sheet with 10 points, seven rebounds and five assists.
 
The Lakers look to bounce back on Saturday when they welcome in Lake Superior State at 3 PM for kids day. Children 17 and under can get tickets for just $1. The game will also air on the Grand Valley Sports Network and can be heard on Thunder Country 107.3 FM.