ALLENDALE, MICH. – The last road trip of the season approaches for the Grand Valley women's basketball team, as they head out east to New York and West Virginia to take on D'Youville on Saturday, then Wheeling on Sunday. Saturday's game is set for 1pm, while Sunday's is at 2pm.
 
At 9-0 the Lakers are off to the fifth best start in program history, and the second-best start under Mike Williams. Coming off two offensive explosions last weekend, in which the Lakers put up 100 points on Central State and 92 on Davenport, GVSU is averaging 85.3 points per game, which ranks sixth in the nation. After those two blowout victories, GVSU leads the nation in scoring margin at 31.3 points. Emily Spitzley had a season-high 22 points in the win over Central State and continues to lead the team with 14 points per game. Ellie Droste scores 11.2 points and Hannah Kulas is up to 10.8 after a season-high 17 on Sunday. Spitzley and Courtney Sharland each grab 4.6 rebounds a game. The Lakers are in the top three in the nation in both field goal percentage (50.2%) and three-point percentage (42.9%) and are the only team in the nation ranked in the top five in both categories.
 
Saturday will mark the first time in program history that GVSU will take on the D'Youville Saints. D'Youville comes into the game at 2-6 on the season and enter the game on a three-game losing streak. The Saints are in the first year under new head coach Ali Bouman, a former Davenport assistant and player. They went 15-12 last year and 7-11 in conference play and came into the season picked to finish ninth in the preseason East Coach Conference preseason poll. The Saints average 49.3 points per game and are led by their lone double-digit scorer Brianne Moxley (11.1 ppg). D'Youville's defense has been stingy all year, holding opponents to only 59.6 points per game.
 
In the final road game of 2022 head to Wheeling, West Virginia to take on Wheeling University on Sunday. The Cardinals are also in the first year under a new head coach and are off to a 6-2 start with Anna Kowalska at the helm. Wheeling is coming off a 64-50 loss to #22 Charleston but had won four consecutive prior to that Mountain East matchup. The Cardinals are led by senior forward Lauren Calhoun who is averaging a double-double with 20.1 points and 11.5 rebounds. Wheeling is outscoring opponents 70.3 to 60.3 and holding teams to shooting 34.5% from the field. This will be the first ever meeting between GVSU and Wheeling.
 
Both games this week will be available to follow through live stream, live audio, or live stats. For full coverage of the game, including live in-game updates, follow @gvsuwbb on Twitter and visit gvsulakers.com.