ALLENDALE--The Grand Valley State men's basketball team heads to the Upper Peninsula for a pair of games. They'll kick off the road trip with a game against Northern Michigan at 5:30 p.m. on Thursday. The matchup can be seen live online via FloSports with a paid subscription. The game will be aired on radio on The Ticket (106.1 FM) with Bryan Fongers on the call.
The Lakers are coming off a win against Saginaw Valley, which had won five of its last six before coming to Allendale on Saturday. The Grand Valley State men's basketball team came back from a 10-point second-half deficit to defeat Saginaw Valley, 66-62.
Trevon Gunter was clutch down the stretch for the Lakers, sinking three triples in the final 6:15 of play to complete a GVSU (9-8, 3-4 GLIAC) comeback that saw the Lakers down as many as 10 in the second half. Gunter scored a game-high 19 points on a 7-for-11 shooting performance from the field and went 5-for-7 from behind the 3-point line. Gunter added seven rebounds for the Lakers and a pair of steals.
The Wildcats are atop the GLIAC headed into this weekend's competition. Northern Michigan is 6-1 in conference play with their lone defeat coming against Parkside on Dec. 3. The Lakers hold a 55-37 all-time series lead.
SCOUTING THE WILDCATS
Northern Michigan leads the GLIAC with a 6-1 conference record. The Wildcats are 14-3 overall on the year and riding an eight-game winning streak. Coming into the season, the Wildcats were picked to finish as the GLIAC runners-up behind Ferris State.
Max Bjorklund was picked as the GLIAC Preseason Player of the Year and has lived up to the billing. Bjorklund is leading the GLIAC in scoring with 20.3 points per game and has scored 30 or more in three games this season and 20 or more eight times this season. The Wildcats have three other players averaging in double figures (Brian Parzych, Dylan Kuehl and Max Weisbrud).
FROM WAY DOWNTOWN
The Lakers are finding success from distance in 2022-23. GVSU is second in the conference in 3-point percentage, shooting the 3 ball at a 39.1 percent clip. GVSU has shot 40 percent or better in seven games this season. The Lakers also have three players (Trevon Gunter, Britain Harris and Luke Toliver) in the top 11 in the GLIAC in 3-point percentage. All three are shooting it better than 43.1 percent from behind the 3-point line.
THIS IS THE WAY
Shooting percentages and rebounding have been solid indicators of GVSU's success this season. When the Lakers shoot better from the field, they are 8-1. On the flip side, when the GVSU opponent shoots better from the floor, it is 1-7 on the season. The lone win while being outshot came against McKendree. In the rebounding category, seven of the Lakers' nine wins have seen GVSU outrebound its opponent.
