ALLENDALE--The Grand Valley State men's basketball team opens its final regular season weekend with a game against Lake Superior State 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.

The Lakers bounced back with a victory against Wayne State on Saturday, beating the Warriors in Detroit, 71-67. Kingsley Okanu worked down low in the post and made two tough baskets in the final 2:30 of the game and Smith made a free-throw line jumper with 31 seconds remaining to give GVSU a seven-point lead. Wayne State made a triple with seven seconds to go, but Marius Grazulis drained a free throw to put it out of reach. Marius Grazulis earned his third double-double of the season, scoring 13 points and grabbing 11 rebounds. He went 5-for-9 from the floor and had two assists as well.

The Lakers come into the matchup tied with LSSU for fourth place in the conference, which would earn a home game in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament. GVSU has locked up a spot in the GLIAC Tournament.

In the first meeting between these teams on Dec. 3, the game went to overtime where Lake Superior State came out the victor. Isaiah Carver-Bagley scored 20 points and grabbed three rebounds in Sault Ste. Marie.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS
Lake Superior State has won two of its last three games but lost its last outing against Ferris State, 72-58, last Saturday. The Lakers have found their most success on their home floor, boasting a 7-3 record at home. LSSU is 4-10 away from the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie.

Caden Ebeling and Kemon Bassett are a formidable duo for LSSU with both of them averaging over 15 points per game. Ebeling shoots a 53.8 percent clip from the field, which is good for fourth-best in the GLIAC this season. The Lakers are one of the best teams in the country at getting to the free-throw line. LSSU is 16th in the country with 22.9 free-throw attempts per game and is making 16.2 of those attempts, good for 22nd best in the nation.

DOWN TO THE WIRE
Qualification and seeding for the GLIAC Tournament will be decided this weekend on the men's side. No team is mathematically eliminated headed into Thursday's games, and five teams are still mathematically alive for the top spot and regular season crown. GVSU has clinched a berth to the conference tournament but are fighting for the right to host a first round game and are tied with Lake Superior State for the coveted fourth seed.

HEATING UP
The Lakers are playing winning basketball when it counts most. GVSU is 4-1 in the month of February and has put itself in the mix for a top-four spot in the conference to host a first round GLIAC Tournament game. In February, GVSU is averaging 79.6 points per game and a scoring margin of 5.6 points.