Box Score The 2021-22 GLIAC Champion and #2-ranked Grand Valley State women's basketball team claimed a 56-49 league road win Saturday afternoon over Saginaw Valley State. The Lakers' 20 consecutive regular-season wins is a school-record and just two wins shy of the 22-game overall winning streak the 2005-06 team put together en route to a National Championship. GVSU's 25 regular-season wins rank as the third-best total in school annals (27-1 2019-20; 26-2 2018-19). The Lakers had games versus Central State and Lake Superior State cancelled during the 2021-22 campaign. In the last three complete regular seasons GVSU is 78-4 overall and 55-4 in GLIAC action. 

GVSU built a 17-14 lead after one quarter of action and outscored the Cardinals 15-7 in the second stanza to build a 32-21 halftime lead. The Lakers were 6-for-8 from the floor and  connected on both three-point attempts in the second quarter, while SVSU was 3-for-13 from the floor and 1-6 from the three-point line. Saginaw Valley State would get to within five points on three occasions in the second half, but the Lakers always had an answer. GVSU led 49-44 with 4:49 left in the game, but junior guard Emily Spitzley drilled a three-pointer to push the lead back to eight (52-44). The Cardinals made one last push and pulled to within four (52-48) after a three-point play with 2:58 left. Senior guard Qay Stanton tallied a layup with 2:41 remaining in the game and that was as close as Saginaw Valley State would get.

Spitzley led the Lakers with 19 points and converted 4-of-6 three-point attempts, while also pulling down six rebounds. Freshman guard Ellie Droste added 14 points, while Stanton chipped in eight points and four assists. Freshman forward Rylie Bisballe added six points and six rebounds and freshman center Joslyn Brennan scored six points. GVSU, the top-ranked defensive team in the country, limited Saginaw Valley State to 31.0 percent from the floor (18-for-58) and 18.2 percent (4-for-22) from the three-point line. 

GVSU will host Northern Michigan Wednesday (March 2) in GLIAC Tournament action. Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. The Lakers also remained the top-ranked team in the latest NCAA DII Midwest Regional rankings heading into the GLIAC Tournament.