On Saturday, Feb. 8, the Grand Valley State University women’s basketball team played against the Ferris State University Bulldogs at home. The Lakers crushed their rival, ending the game with a score of 78-57.

From the start, the Lakers dominated the Bulldogs, closing out the first quarter with a commanding 26-4 lead. As soon as the clock started, the Lakers took off, with senior Abrie Cabana sinking a 3-pointer. Ferris responded with a jump shot by Mya Hiram in the paint, making up two of the only four points the Bulldogs scored during the quarter.

After Hiram’s point, the Lakers were unstoppable. With back-to-back points, Ferris couldn’t keep up with the Lakers’ offensive machine. For the remainder of the quarter, the Lakers scored 23 more points, while the Bulldogs were only able to add two points to their side of the scoreboard. These two points from the Bulldogs came with only 40 seconds left in the quarter.

The second quarter began with a battle of defense. The first point wasn’t scored until two minutes into the quarter. GVSU redshirt senior Rylie Bisballe was hot on the paint with a layup, which was followed by a 3-pointer from freshman MacKenzie Bisballe. Ferris gained slightly more momentum, however, GVSU’s staggering lead made it difficult for the Bulldogs to successfully make up the point difference. After a media timeout, the Bulldogs were awarded a free throw, where Mia Riley sank three shots into the basket. By the end of the second quarter, the Lakers were up by 31 points, with a score of 44-13.

At the start of the third quarter, Ferris made it clear they weren’t going down without a fight. Hiram made a jump shot in the paint to score the quarter’s first point. Following Hiram’s jump shot, the Bulldogs’ Kenzie Bowers slashed through the Lakers’ defense to score a layup.

The Lakers responded to this when redshirt junior Nicole Kamin stepped up and sank a 3-pointer. However, Ferris didn’t let Kamin’s 3-pointer ruin their flow, as Elle Irwin responded with a 3-pointer for the Bulldogs. Ferris fought to keep up their momentum, desperate to bridge the gap in scoring. The Bulldogs scored eight more points back to back. Despite the Bulldogs’ best efforts, the Lakers were still up by 24 points. The quarter ended with a score of 56-32.

In the last quarter, Ferris fought hard to upend the Lakers, but it was to no avail. The Lakers maintained control and stayed out of the Bulldogs’ reach. GVSU closed out the game with a 78-57 point victory. 

The Lakers were led in scoring by the Bisballe sister duo. MacKenzie Bisballe scored 17 points, while her sister, Rylie Bisballe, scored 13.

“Our team is trying to focus on one game at a time,” Rylie Bisballe said. “We all (want) to win and be a selfless team. I think our team focusing on what we can do to help each other and get a win has been very rewarding thus far.”

The Lakers hope to continue their success when they head to Hammond, Ind. on Thursday, Feb. 13 to play against Purdue Northwest.