ALLENDALE – The Grand Valley State men's basketball team fell 94-91 in overtime against Illinois Springfield Friday (Dec. 20) night. The Lakers fall to 6-4 on the season.
 
William Dunn led GVSU with 21 points and five rebounds on 7-12 shooting and 2-4 shooting from three. Mason Docks and Jalen charity scored 17 points each. Docks grabbed five rebounds and dished out three assists, while Charity shot 5-6 from the field. Kaden Brown added 14 points with three rebounds and two assists.
 
GVSU shot 47% from the field and 38% from three. Illinois Springfield shot 47% from the field and 36% from three. The Prairie Stars outrebounded GVSU 39-37, while both teams hauled in 10 offensive rebounds. 
 
Illinois Springfield began the game with a 9-4 run that included three made three-pointers off four attempts. GVSU would tie the game at 11-11 with 15 minutes to play off a Shamus Thompson and one hook shot. Trevor Smith Jr. gave the Lakers their largest lead of the half of 23-16 with a driving layup with 11 minutes left. 
 
Illinois Springfield would tie the game at 28-28 with seven minutes to play in the half. After both teams traded leads, the Prairie Stars took a four-point lead with five minutes left in the first half. GVSU answered with an 11-4 run to take a 41-39 lead with two minutes. GVSU would take a three-point lead into halftime with Dunn leading the way for GVSU with 10 points.
 
In the second half, GVSU pushed the lead to five early off back-to-back layups by Docks and Smith Jr. Illinois Springfield responded by taking a 51-49 lead with over 14 minutes remaining in the game. GVSU would later tie the game at 56-56 on a Dunn hook shot in the paint, but the Prairie Stars answered with a 4-0 run to take a 60-56 lead with 10:43 to play. 
 
Illinois Springfield would take their largest lead of the game at 68-58 with just over eight minutes to play in the game. The Lakers answered, going on an 18-5 run to retake the lead at 76-73 with just over three minutes remaining. The Lakers would end regulation on a 23-13 game and would send the game into overtime after getting a defensive stop.
 
In overtime, Jalen Charity gave GVSU an 89-86 lead. Illinois Springfield responded with a layup and three-pointer to take a two-point lead. The Prairie Stars would close the game with free throws to claim the three-point win.
 
GVSU will return to the court in 2025 when they resume their GLIAC schedule. The Lakers will host Michigan Tech on Thursday, January 2^nd at 8:00 PM. GVSU will then host Northern Michigan on Saturday, January 4^that 3:00 PM. Both games will be streamed live on FloSports and can be listened live on Thunder country 107.3.