ALLENDALE, Mich. – The No. 2 Grand Valley State Lakers are headed to the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament championship after a 71-57 win over the Michigan Tech Huskies Saturday (March 5) at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. This is the 22^nd consecutive win for the Lakers, matching the longest win streak in program history, as they improve to 27-1 on the season. The Lakers will host the winner of 2-seed Ferris State and 3-seed Wayne State in the championship on Sunday (March 6) at 3 PM.
 
The Lakers came roaring out of the gates, starting the game with the first 11 points and a 15-2 lead midway through the first quarter. Emily Spitzley scored seven of her team-high 18 points during the opening spurt. Michigan Tech would answer, though, as the offense lulled to allow the Huskies back within one, 19-18, then again, 21-20, at the midway point of the second quarter.
 
But Ellie Droste (15 points) answered with a runner to ignite an 11-2 run the rest of the way in the period and didn't allow the Huskies a point until a buzzer-beater from Ellie Mackay (20 points) to open a 32-22 lead at halftime.
 
"I have to give a ton of credit to our bench today. Everybody stepped up and played tough defense against a really good offensive team that can beat you in a bunch of different ways. When we were struggling to score in that second quarter, our defense kept us in the game. Then when Michigan Tech started to get hot, our offense was able to match them in the second half," said head coach Mike Williams.
 
Michigan Tech came out firing in the third quarter, going five-of-six from three as a team, but the Lakers hit three triples of their own and never let the Huskies shoot themselves back into the game, getting to the offensive glass and drawing fouls – and hitting their free throws. The Lakers were 24-29 from the line in the game, including an 18-21 mark in the second half.
 
The Lakers wire-to-wire win puts them in the GLIAC Tournament championship game for the first time since 2018 and they are seeking their first tournament title since 2006; the year GVSU won it all