ALLENDALE--The Grand Valley State men's basketball team opens up postseason play at 6 p.m. on Wednesday night against Lake Superior State in the GLIAC Quarterfinals.
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 beat Ferris State on Saturday, 90-84, on Saturday to cap off the regular season with a big win. GVSU got off to a quick 15-0 start and went into the halftime break up 17 behind Britain Harris' 19 first-half points, which set a season high for points in a half by a Laker player. Harris finished the game with 21 points, as did Isaiah Carver-Bagley. Marius Grazulis and Kingsley Okanu each got into double figures, scoring 10 and 18, respectively. Grazulis notched his fourth double-double of the season, scoring 10 points and grabbing 15 rebounds. His 15-rebound performance was the first by a Laker in over a year.
Less than a week will have passed since the last meeting between these two teams. Lake Superior State had a 22-point halftime lead on Thursday and GVSU cut the deficit to two possessions in the second half, but were unable to complete the comeback. Lake Superior State also took the first meeting of the season in overtime back on Dec. 3.
SCOUTING THE LAKERS
Lake Superior State has taken both of the games against GVSU this season. The Lakers are also on a hot streak, winning four of their last five, including a victory against GVSU last Thursday. LSSU has found success on its home floor this season, boasting a 7-3 home record. In the two meetings this season, Lake Superior State has outscored GVSU, 144-132, and has outrebounded GVSU, 74-63.
Caden Ebeling and Kemon Bassett form a strong duo inside for LSSU. Ebeling averages 16.1 points per game and Bassett scores 15.4 points per game for the Lakers. In the two games this season, Ebeling and Bassett have combined to score 64 points for LSSU. Ebeling is fourth in the GLIAC in field goal percentage, shooting at a 54.9 percent clip from the floor. Bassett is the league's fourth-leading rebounder with 6.5 rebounds per game.
ATTACKING THE GLASS
One of the keys to victory for GVSU will be the rebounding category. The Lakers are 15-6 when outrebounding their opponents and are 1-5 when the opponent outrebounds them. On Thursday against LSSU, the Lakers had their worst rebounding margin of the season, getting outrebounded by 12. Cleaning the glass will be key for the Lakers to continue their season.
PLAYING WITH FIRE
The Lakers came out on fire Saturday, starting the matchup with Ferris State on a 15-0 run. GVSU would never trail the Bulldogs on Saturday on its way to a victory to close out the regular season. The Lakers shot 51.7 percent from the floor and 42.9 percent from 3-point range to beat their rivals on Senior Day.
