ROCHESTER, Mich. – The Grand Valley State men's basketball team opened the 2026-27 season with a 103-74 exhibition loss at Oakland Thursday (Oct. 15) night. The Lakers will open the regular season on Friday, October 30^th against Harding.
 
Paris Papadatos led the Lakers in scoring with 17 points on 8-10 shooting from the field with one three-pointer. Austin Tory scored 15 points and grabbed a team high eight rebounds with three assists on 6-9 shooting from the field. Marcus Gray II notched 10 points with two-three pointers and two assists. Dyland Smith added eight points, five rebounds, and three assists. 
 
RJ Taylor led Oakland with 25 points on 9-13 shooting from the field with six triples. Chris Field Jr. posted a double-double with 13 points and 10 rebounds. Ryder Bradley notched 15 points on a perfect 4-4 shooting from the field with two three-pointers. Hamou Mashhour added 12 points on 4-11 shooting from behind the arc.