The Grand Valley State University women’s basketball team extended their winning streak this week against Northern Michigan University on Thursday, Jan. 30 and Michigan Tech University on Saturday, Feb. 1. GVSU beat NMU, 74-48, and MTU, 69-51, which added to their overall record of 22-1.
On Thursday, the Lakers traveled 6 1/2 hours to Marquette, Michigan, where they played the Wildcats.
The game started with the Lakers gaining an early lead against the Wildcats. At the start of the quarter, the Lakers came out hot with a 3-pointer from GVSU’s Kathryn Schmidt, which set the tone for the rest of the quarter. As GVSU pulled ahead, NMU fought back, trying to bridge the gap.
Halfway through the quarter, the Wildcat’s Jacy Weisbrod knocked down a triple, which lessened the Lakers’ lead to only three points. The Lakers quickly responded, as redshirt junior Paige Vanstee blasted through the Wildcats’ defense to score a layup. After Vanstee’s layup, the Lakers began to shut the Wildcats out. GVSU kept NMU on their toes for the rest of the quarter as they struggled to play catch up against the Lakers.
With two minutes left in the quarter, NMU’s Abi Fraaza stepped up to the line and scored two free throws, slightly bridging the gap between the Lakers. After Fraaza’s free throws, the Lakers hunkered down on defense and closed the door on the Wildcats for the remaining two minutes. With a minute left on the clock, redshirt junior Nicole Kamin scored a 3-pointer to close out the quarter for the Lakers, 22-10.
The next quarter began with the Wildcats fighting to bridge the gap between them and the Lakers. Just two minutes into the quarter, NMU’s Alyssa Hill made a layup, followed by two free throws by NMU’s Mackenzie Holzwart, which brought the score to 22-14.
The Lakers cut the Wildcats’ momentum short, and maintained control for the rest of the quarter. At the end of the quarter, a foul by NMU’s Sarah Newcomer awarded GVSU a free throw. Kamin sank the first free throw in the basket for the Lakers, ending the quarter with a 13-point lead, 42-29.
During the third quarter, the Wildcats didn’t give the Lakers a chance to significantly widen their lead. By the end of the quarter, the Lakers still led by 13 points, with a score of 51-38.
The final quarter was nothing short of Laker dominance. Vanstee started GVSU off with a 3-pointer, followed by a layup in less than two minutes. NMU followed this up with a layup from Hill. Hill’s layup did nothing to stop GVSU’s offensive fury, as Kamin sank a 3-pointer, followed by another 3-pointer from redshirt senior Rylie Bisballe.
After a foul by NMU’s Holzwart, Vanstee stepped up to the line and calmly sunk two into the basket. Less than one minute after this, junior Avery Zeinstra made a 3-pointer, which gave GVSU a 25-point lead. By this point, it was clear things weren’t looking good for the Wildcats.
With 50 seconds left on the clock, freshman MacKenzie Bisballe maneuvered through NMU’s defense and scored a layup.
When the clock hit zero, GVSU had won, 74-48. Vanstee led the Lakers in scoring, with a season-high of 20 points. Vanstee emphasized her and the team’s balanced approach to winning.
“This season hasn’t been about numbers,” Vanstee said. “It’s been about being our best and doing the little things that win games.”
The Lakers were soon back on the road to Houghton, Michigan, where they played against the MTU Huskies.
During the first quarter, the Lakers kept control of the lead while going basket-for-basket with the Huskies. The quarter started with a 3-pointer from Kamin, which was matched by two free throws from MTU. By the end of the quarter, GVSU held a seven-point lead, with a score of 14-7.
In the second quarter, the Lakers fought to widen their lead, but the Huskies doubled down defensively to keep the Lakers’ lead no higher than 11. With 40 seconds left on the clock, MacKenzie Bisballe knocked down a triple, which brought the Lakers’ lead back to double digits, ending the quarter, 31-21.
In the third, the Huskies dug deep, and made sure to keep their lead in the single digits for the majority of the quarter. As the Lakers fought to bring their lead up, the Huskies battled to tie up the score. The Lakers ended the third with an eight-point lead and a score of 49-41.
The Lakers started the final quarter with a 3-pointer from redshirt senior Hadley Miller, which brought the lead back to double digits.
“Personally, I’m just focused on doing what I can to help us continue our success,” Miller said. “(I’m) just focusing on consistency in the little things.”
By the middle of the quarter, the Huskies couldn’t keep up with the Lakers and their lead only stretched. By the end of the game, GVSU won with an 18-point lead and a final score of 69-51.
The team is hoping to keep their winning streak alive when they return home to play Lake Superior State on Thursday, Feb. 6.
