ALLENDALE, MICH. – The Grand Valley State women's basketball team gets set to host their final weekend homestand of the regular season, hosting Roosevelt and Parkside. The two Laker squads will face off on Thursday at 5:30, then the follow that up with a 1:00 tip against the Rangers on Saturday.
 
Roosevelt: Live Stats | Video | Radio | Tickets | Thursday | 5:30
Parkside: Live Stats | Video | Radio | Tickets | Saturday | 1:00

Saturday's game will be a Pinkout and the Lakers' annual Play4Kay game. The Play4Kay foundation honors the fight against cancers affecting women and raises money to help raise awareness and show support. Fans will have multiple opportunities to get involved and give back, including donation pledges, special edition GVSU Women's Basketball pink t-shirts for sale, and other fundraising initiatives.
 
The Lakers are coming a 1-1 weekend on the road. They defeated Purdue Northwest 91-44 on Thursday, then suffered their first loss of the season on Saturday, falling to Wayne State 78-77. They are now 21-1 overall ranked third in the country, and still first-place in the GLIAC at 13-1.
 
Grand Valley State leads the conference in both scoring offense (80.5) and scoring defense (53.1), ranking eighth nationally in both categories as well. On the offensive side, Paige VanStee (15.5) and MacKenzie Bisballe (14.0) lead the way, with Nicole Kamin dishing out four assists per game. Kamin currently ranks fifth in the country in assist-to-turnover ratio at 2.70.
 
In the first game against Roosevelt, GVSU took control early, and never looked back, cruising to a 75-37 victory. VanStee scored 18 points in the win, including the 1,000^th point of her career, and added seven boards. Ava Scanlon had 10 points and six rebounds, while Lexi Plitzuweit had nine points, five assists, and four rebounds. GVSU held Roosevelt to 22% shooting from the field, forcing 25 turnovers, and won the rebounding battle 53-23.
 
Since losing to GVSU in late January, Roosevelt has gone 2-2, rising into the eight seed in the GLIAC at 5-9. The Lakers average just over 58 points a game, while allowing over 67 a contest. They have struggled to shoot this season, hitting just 33.2% from the field and 26.4% from deep. Senior Marie Outlay has won back-to-back GLIAC Players of the Week awards, as she leads the team scoring over 12 points a game and has added a GLIAC-leading 87 steals.
 
Playing in Kenosha, Wisconsin for the first game between GVSU and Parkside, the Lakers doubled the Rangers in the first quarter, 20-10, then used that lead to hold the Rangers off for a 66-47 victory. VanStee posted a 13-point, 10-rebound double-double and Bisballe led the team with 17 points. Nicole Kamin posted nine points, nine assists, and six rebounds and Ava Scanlon recorded 10 points and four rebounds. GVSU forced 22 turnovers and were +12 on the boards, holding Parkside to 15.8% shooting from distance.
 
Valentine's Day brings a rematch against 11-11 Parkside. The current sixth-place team in the league at 6-8 will come to the 616 on a two-game skid, dropping games to Roosevelt and Ferris State last week. The Rangers are one of the best defensive teams in the conference, allowing just over 64 points a game, while holding opponents to under 40% shooting from the field. One of the biggest reasons is their elite rim protection, as they block four and a half shots per game, with five players over 10 blocks this season. Leading the offense is the duo of Katie Hamill and Cassidy Arni, both averaging over 14 points a game, while also averaging over five rebounds a contest as well.
 
How To Follow
This week's games will be available to follow along with via live stats or live stream through FloSports. You can also listen live on the radio on The Ticket, Thunder Country, and WLCS. For full coverage, follow along on social media @gvsuwbb and online at GVSUlakers.com.