GVSU men’s basketball picks up first win of the season

After dropping their first game of the season in the GLIAC/GLVC challenge Friday, Nov. 10, in Big Rapids, Michigan, by a mere 2 points, the Grand Valley State men’s basketball team came back out the very next night and defeated Quincy University 59-57.

Both teams fought hard in the first half as the score was knotted at 30 heading into halftime. Laker center Justin Greason led the way for GVSU in the first 20 minutes with a team-high 8 points, three rebounds, two blocks and a steal in only 10 minutes of action.

Neither team was efficient from anywhere on the floor in the first half. The Lakers shot 32.4 percent from the field, 23.1 percent from 3-point range and 75 percent from the line, while Quincy shot 33.3/30.8/75 before the break.

The second half stayed close, but Lance Dollison caught fire from the arc and splashed three of his five triples in the half to help lead the Lakers to the tight victory.

Greason, Dollison and Ben Lubitz all had 12 points, a team high, while Chris Pearl pulled down 10 boards and Myles Miller dished out five assists. Greason led the game with two blocks while Pearl and Hunter Hale each nabbed two steals.

They finished the game shooting 36.9/32/60 as a team, though if you remove Dollison’s 4 of 8 from 3-point range, that figure drops to 23.5 percent.

The score was close the entire game as neither team got out to a lead that surpassed 7 points, which GVSU hit about seven minutes into the game.

Now 1-1, the Lakers’ season will continue as they host Olivet College for their home opener at the Fieldhouse Arena on Tuesday, Nov. 14, at 7 p.m. The game can be heard on ESPN radio 96.1. 

GVSU men’s club D2 hockey defeats University of Toledo

The Grand Valley State men’s club hockey team (Division II) continued its impressive start to the season after defeating the University of Toledo 7-5 at Georgetown Ice Arena on Saturday, Nov. 11. The Lakers improved to a 9-2-2 overall record on the season, winning their last six contests.

Heading into the second period, the Lakers were down 2-1 with a goal by Tommy Carey. The offense exploded in the second as the Lakers scored four straight goals to propel themselves to a 5-2 lead. Goal scorers from the period included Carey, German Samvel, Ryan Hein and Daniel Smith. However, Toledo would bring it within one score afterward, ending the period with two scores.

The final period is where the Lakers sealed the deal, as Carey got his third goal for the hat trick while teammate Zach Resnick closed the contest with another goal to bring the final score to its 7-5 finale. 

Heading into the Thanksgiving break, GVSU will face Marian University twice to close out their November contest. The first game will be played Friday, Nov. 17, at 9:30 p.m., while the second game will be played Saturday, Nov. 18, at 4:30 p.m. Both games will be played at Georgetown Ice Arena.