ALLENDALE--The Grand Valley State men's basketball team returns home for a three-week stretch that includes four home games with a matchup against Purdue Northwest at 8 p.m. on Thursday inside of the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The matchup can be seen live online via FloSports with a paid subscription. The game will be aired on radio on The Thunder (107.3 FM) with Bryan Fongers on the call.
It will be Hawaiian Night inside of the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The first 1,000 students to show up with an ID and wearing a Hawaiian shirt will receive a GVSU Hawaiian bucket hat courtesy of Campus View. Chick-Fil-A will also be available for fans to purchase. Purchases can be made cashless. Fifty students will receive a free cookie from Chick-Fil-A. The game is sponsored by 105.3 HOTFM.
The Lakers return to Allendale on a hot streak. GVSU has won eight of its last 10 games and swept Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech in the Upper Peninsula over the weekend.
Marius Grazulis was crucial to the Lakers' success in his native Upper Peninsula. The Marquette native averaged a double-double of 15.5 points and 10 rebounds over the two GVSU victories and was honored as the GLIAC Player of the Week for his performances.
The Lakers have also used their rebounding acumen during their winning stretch. During the GVSU three-game win streak, the Lakers are averaging a 9.3 rebound margin over their opponents. GVSU outrebounded Michigan Tech by 19 in its latest victory.
The Lakers and Pride met less than three weeks ago in Hammond, Indiana. GVSU came out victorious, 74-62, and Austin James dropped his season high of 19 points. GVSU dominated inside in the early January tilt with the Pride, holding a, 30-16, advantage is paint points and winning the battle on the glass, 34-29.
SCOUTING THE PRIDE
Purdue Northwest has played just three games since losing to the Lakers on its home floor on Jan. 7. The Pride are 1-2 since then, but are coming off a, 90-82, win against Parkside on Saturday. Mikell Cooper and Alou Dillon each had 20-point games to down the Rangers among four Pride players in double figures. Purdue Northwest also made 11 triples on its way to snapping a three-game losing skid.
Cooper and Dillon are Purdue Northwest's two top scorers. The duo had a combined 32 points against GVSU in the teams' first meeting this season. Dillon and Cooper are the fourth- and sixth-best scorers in the GLIAC this season, averaging 15.86 and 15.71 points per game, respectively.
THE GLIAC'S FINEST
Marius Grazulis was named GLIAC Player of the Week on Monday. Grazulis posted the second double-double for the Lakers this season against Northern Michigan, scoring 14 points and grabbing 11 rebounds in front his hometown crowd in Marquette. He was just one rebound shy of two consecutive double-doubles, scoring 17 points and grabbing nine rebounds against Michigan Tech on Saturday.
HEATING UP
The Lakers are riding a three-game win streak and a stretch of success that has seen eight wins in 10 outings, dating back to Dec. 6 when GVSU picked up a road win at Quincy. GVSU is averaging 74.6 points, 36.2 rebounds, and is shooting 47.3 percent from the field in its last 10 games.
