ALLENDALE – The Grand Valley State men's basketball team opened up 2024 with a big 87-64 win over Michigan Tech Thursday (Jan. 4) night. The Lakers improve to 2-0 in the GLIAC and 5-7 overall. 
 
Ethan Alderink led all scorers with 16 points on 5-9 shooting including going 6-8 from the free throw line. William Dunn notched 15 points on 4-7 shooting and went a perfect 7-7 from the line. Trevor Smith added 11 points, dished out five assists and recorded two steals in the win. 
 
The Lakers shot a very effective 54% from the field and 41.7% from beyond the arc. GVSU outrebounded Michigan Tech 30-25 and turned the ball over a season low 10 times. The Lakers never trailed and led by as many as 26. 
 
The Lakers jumped out to a quick 9-0 lead off a bucket by Alderink and seven made free throws by Dunn. Just over four minutes in, Charles Turner drained a three to push the lead to double digits. Smith would push the lead to 14 just three minutes later off a floater in the middle of the lane. The Lakers would take their largest lead of the half at 30-13 off a Shamus Thompson layup off an offensive rebound. GVSU would take a 39-25 lead into the break.
 
In the second half, Michigan Tech started the half on a 13-3 run to cut the Laker lead to four. GVSU responded and went on an 8-0 run to back up 12 points with 12 minutes left in the game. Smith extended the lead to 15 on a driving layup in transition and Britain Harris drained a pair of free throws to make it a 20-point game with five minutes remaining to put the game out of reach.
 
The Lakers will close out the week hosting Northern Michigan on Saturday (Jan. 6) at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. Tipoff is set for 3:00 PM after the conclusion of the women's game. Visit gvsulakers.com for links to live stats and live video. Follow @gvsubasketball on Twitter for live in-game updates.