The No. 2 Grand Valley State University women’s basketball team (30-1) made its usual dominant statement in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) tournament, which was hosted March 4-8 at the Fieldhouse Arena.
The Lakers blew out three straight conference foes to win the GLIAC tournament, starting with a strong 89-45 victory over Lake Superior State University (8-21) in the quarterfinals. GVSU then defeated two ranked opponents, taking down No. 21 Northern Michigan University (25-7) 66-38 in the semifinals before taking the title from rival No. 13 Ferris State University (23-5) 70-44 in the championship game.
Against Lake Superior State, the Lakers took a 10-point lead in the first half thanks to a 3-pointer from redshirt-senior guard Molly Anderson, extending the lead to 15-5. GVSU ended the first quarter up 27-8. In the second quarter, up by 29 points with 32 seconds to go, redshirt-freshman guard Tayla Dillard shot a 3-pointer, assisted by redshirt-senior guard Lexi Plitzuweit.
Moving into the third quarter, senior guard Avery Zeinstra shot a 3-pointer, assisted by freshman guard/forward Anayya Davis, extending the GVSU lead to 48-24. Then, in the blink of an eye, Zeinstra got her second 3-point shot of the game, assisted once again by Davis, giving GVSU a 51-24 lead with 7:00 to go in the quarter. GVSU ended the quarter up by 36 points, 66-30.
In the fourth quarter, GVSU took a 35-point lead via a 3-pointer by sophomore guard Sydney Cherney, assisted by Dillard, extending the lead to 69-34 with 8:49 to go. Moments later, Cherney struck from three again, assisted by freshman guard/forward Avery Lay, giving GVSU a 72-38 lead. Then, it was redshirt-sophomore Lauren Slagle’s turn as she buried a three, once again assisted by Lay, making the score 75-39. The Lakers held on for an 89-45 win.
“We talk about (playing) with urgency all the time,” head coach Mike Williams said. “I thought our focus was there, and I thought we were pretty solid.”
In the game against Northern Michigan, coming out of a 3-point scoring drought by the Lakers, MacKenzie Bisballe broke through with a triple, assisted by Nicole Kamin, giving GVSU a 25-22 lead with 3:10 left in the second quarter. Moments later, Kamin also tripled, assisted by Anderson, extending the Lakers’ lead to 28-22 with 1:07 to go. GVSU led 31-24 at the half.
Despite Northern Michigan’s tough defense and scoring ability, the Lakers got a 3-point shot from Zeinstra, assisted by Kamin, giving GVSU a 47-31 lead with 2:47 left in the third quarter. The Lakers led 50-31.
With GVSU continuing to dominate the glass in the fourth quarter, Dillard joined the 3-point party, assisted by Cherney. Moments later, Cherney hit a 3-pointer of her own, assisted by redshirt-freshman forward Kelly Kray, giving GVSU a 66-34 lead with 2:03 left. The Lakers held on for a 66-38 win.
Against Ferris State, Bisballe got GVSU on the board first with a layup in the paint, making it 2-0 in the first quarter. Bisballe answered again, this time with a 3-point shot assisted by Anderson, locking in an early 5-0 lead.
After the Bulldogs got on the board with a layup, the Lakers responded with Bisballe’s second 3-pointer of the game, assisted by Paige VanStee. Just seconds later, Plitzuweit joined the scoring with a 3-point shot, assisted by Kamin, extending the lead to 13-2 GVSU.
With less than four minutes left in the first quarter and holding a 15-point lead, Zeinstra hit a fast break 3-pointer, assisted by Kamin. Ferris cut the lead to 16 before Anderson hit a 3-pointer, making it 28-9 GVSU.
The Lakers continued their scoring pace in the second quarter. Zeinstra hit another 3-pointer, assisted by Plitzuweit. Anderson responded with another 3-pointer assisted by Davis to extend the lead, leaving the score at 49-28 for halftime.
In the third quarter, Plitzuweit sank another 3-pointer, assisted by Kamin. With 7:34 left, VanStee delivered from three, assisted by Plitzuweit, giving GVSU a 55-33 lead. At quarter’s end, the Lakers led 69-46.
Kamin extended the lead further in the final quarter with a 3-point shot, securing a 24-point lead, 72-48 GVSU, with 8:51 left. In a dominant and high-scoring affair, the Lakers won 83-62 and claimed their fourth-straight GLIAC tournament championship while securing their 30th win for the fifth consecutive season.
GVSU advances to the National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) Midwest Regional at the Fieldhouse Arena, where the team will once again have sights of hoisting a national championship trophy.
