Lakers Heat Up In Second Half To Top Bulldogs In GLIAC Rivalry Game

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad had rival Grand Valley State on the ropes at halftime, but the Lakers surged ahead down the stretch to record a 67-50 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) win over the Bulldogs on Monday (Feb. 3) night in Allendale.

The Lakers outscored FSU 42-28 in the second half after leading by only three points, 25-22, in a low scoring first half of action inside the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena on rivalry night in the conference.

GVSU shot only 32% in the opening frame, but connected on 50% of its field goals over the final 20 minutes to finish shooting 41.2% for the game. Meanwhile, they limited FSU to only 35.2% shooting for the night.

The Lakers also held a decisive edge at the three-point stripe where they made 10-of-20 (50%) tries compared to FSU's three-of-12 (25%) showing overall. GVSU was 15-of-22 (68.2%) at the line with the Bulldogs hitting nine-of-15 (60%) opportunities.

Grand Valley State was fueled by the play of freshman Kayla Dawson, who finished with 14 points and 10 rebounds in a double-double performance. Katherine LaPrairie added 12 points with Taylor Lutz contributing 11 points and four assists in the Laker win.

Ferris State received 14 points along with six rebounds, three assists and two steals from senior guard Sarah DeShone in falling to 6-10 overall and 6-8 in the league standings.

Sophomore forward Christina Branch added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds off the bench with sophomore guard Dena Droste also finishing in double-digits with 10 points in the game.

The Lakers surged ahead by forcing 15 Bulldog turnovers, which helped lead to a 19-8 margin in points off turnovers despite the fact GVSU also had 13 miscues.

Along with the three players who reached double-figures, Grand Valley State also received both eight points and eight rebounds from Jill Steinmetz with Meryl Cripe contributing eight points and six assists in the backcourt.

Ferris State was outrebounded slightly by GVSU 37-35 for the game, but the Bulldogs did pull down 10 offensive caroms to nine for the Lakers which helped lead to a 11-4 edge in second chance scoring.

Overall, the contest featured three lead changes and was tied twice before the Lakers pulled out the victory to improve to 10-9 on the year and 8-7 in GLIAC play. 

The Lakers finished with 16 assists, seven steals and two blocked shots in comparison to the Bulldogs' seven assists, five steals and a single block.

The two teams will meet again later this season on Feb. 27 at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.
Ferris State returns home for a pair of league contests later this week as FSU hosts Michigan Tech on Thursday (Feb. 6) at 6 p.m. (ET) before facing Northern Michigan on Saturday (Feb. 8) in a 1 p.m. (ET) outing at Big Rapids.