BIRMINGHAM, Alabama – For the third time in program history, Grand Valley State women's basketball is headed to the Final Four after a 67-44 win over the Missouri Western Griffons Monday (March 21) in a national quarterfinal at Bill Harris Arena. The Lakers improve to 31-2 on the season and will face Glennville State in a national semifinal on Wednesday (March 23) at 6:08 PM central time (7:08 eastern).
The Laker defense was lock down from the opening tip, not allowing a point for the first four minutes of the game in a wire-to-wire win. The Lakers held Missouri Western to just 2-14 shooting from beyond the arc, swiped 11 steals and held the Griffons about 30 points below their season scoring average for the game. The Lakers also dominated the glass to the tune of a 41-31 edge in rebounding.
Emily Spitzley scored 20 points with five rebounds, one of four Lakers in double figures while
Hannah Kulas and
Courtney Sharland were dominant on the glass and in defense. Kulas was a team-best +21 in 30 minutes on the floor.
Joslyn Brennan scored eight points off the bench in the first half to give GVSU a major lift and
Hadley Miller had ten points off the bench while
Abrie Cabana cashed a huge and-one.
Regional Tournament MVP
Ellie Droste picked up right where she left off with the opening bucket of the game, part of her ten-point performance, and GVSU led, 18-13, after the first quarter. They outscored the Griffons by six in the second period to open a double-digit lead at the halftime break.
"This is a group of young women that just do their job. Everybody contributes. Everybody brings something different that helps us win. And everyone did their job today. Missouri Western can really score and our players did a great job locking in and my staff did an incredible job putting this scout together and having our kids ready to play," head coach
Mike Williams, who didn't arrive in Birmingham until Monday due to a family emergency, said.
A 12-0 run late in the third quarter broke the game open for the Lakers. Kulas hit a layup with an and-one to start the run Spitzley buried a three while GVSU went 5-5 from the line during the spirt that lasted 3:30 and put the game out of reach. The Lakers controlled the clock and utilized the entire bench to close out the fourth quarter.
GVSU seeks their second-ever berth in the National Championship game as they face 3-seed Glennville State Wednesday in a matchup of the top scoring offense in the nation against the best scoring defense in the Lakers. The game will air on The Ticket West Michigan (1340 AM, 106.1 FM,
www.theticketmi.com). It can be seen on NCAA.com or CBS Sports Network.
