ALLENDALE, MICH. – The Grand Valley State women's basketball team punched their ticket to the GLIAC Tournament championship game with a 66-38 victory over Northern Michigan in the semifinals. The win moves GVSU to 29-1 this season and into the championship game for the fifth consecutive season.
The first quarter was tight for the entire 10 minutes, with neither team leading by more than three points. Northern Michigan got the scoring started with a three-pointer, which was quickly answered by a 6-0 Laker run. NMU came back to take an 11-10 lead, but GVSU outscored the Wildcats 6-4 the rest of the quarter to lead 16-15 after one.
With the game tied at 22 at the 5:56 mark of the second quarter, Grand Valley State took over. The Lakers allowed one Wildcat basket the rest of the period, ending the half on a 9-2 scoring run, getting consecutive three-pointers from
MacKenzie Bisballe and
Nicole Kamin.
The Laker defense locked up in the second half, allowing only 14 points over the final 20 minutes of action. GVSU started the second half on a 9-2 scoring run, extending their lead up to 40-26. After the Wildcats got within 11,
Paige VanStee hit a layup, followed quickly by an
Avery Zeinstra triple to start a quarter-ending 8-0 run, which made the score 50-31 heading into the fourth.
GVSU continued to dominate into the fourth quarter. They started on a 16-3 run, capped off by threes from
Tayla Dillard and
Sydney Cherney to make it 66-34. NMU got a few buckets in the final minute to make it a 28-point finale, the Lakers 28
th win by double-digits this season.
MacKenzie Bisballe had a big game for the Lakers, posting 19 points, six rebounds, and three blocks.
Nicole Kamin and
Paige VanStee each had 10 points, while VanStee pulling down nine boards.
Ava Scanlon totaled nine points and eight rebounds. The Laker defense held Northern Michigan to their lowest scoring output of the season, as the Wildcats shot just 26.7% from the floor.
Up Next
The Lakers will take on Ferris State in the GLIAC Tournament championship game for the second straight season. The game is set for 3:00 in the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena.