The No. 1 Grand Valley State University women’s basketball team (33-1) punched its ticket to the NCAA Elite Eight after sweeping the NCAA Midwest Regional.
The Lakers began bracket play Friday, March 13, defeating Marysville University (25-7) 83-50 in the quarterfinals. GVSU followed with a 90-70 win Saturday over Wayne State University (24-8) in the semifinals. Two days later, GVSU defeated Northwood University (28-6), 69-59, in the regional championship, claiming a spot in the Elite Eight and putting the team one step closer to repeating as national champions.
Against Marysville, GVSU opened with a dominant 13-0 run. A 3-pointer from redshirt senior guard Nicole Kamin, assisted by sophomore forward MacKenzie Bisballe, helped the Lakers take an 11-0 lead with 6:56 left in the first quarter. GVSU led 28-5 at the end of the quarter and went 4-for-4 from the free-throw line.
In the second quarter, the Lakers controlled the paint with layups from Bisballe, Kamin, senior guard Avery Zeinstra, redshirt freshman guard Reese Gaytan and redshirt senior forward Paige VanStee. GVSU entered halftime with a 45-21 lead while continuing strong shooting from the free-throw line.
Kamin continued her strong performance in the third quarter, knocking down two more 3-pointers, one assisted by redshirt senior guard Lexi Plitzuweit and another by Bisballe. Zeinstra added a 3-pointer of her own, assisted by VanStee, helping extend the lead to 58-27. Later in the quarter, Bisballe connected from beyond the arc to push the advantage to 70-37. The Lakers led 72-40 entering the fourth quarter.
With the game in hand during the fourth quarter, the Lakers rotated in reserves. Sophomore guard Sydney Cherney added a 3-pointer with 1:03 remaining, assisted by redshirt sophomore forward Lauren Slagle, extending the lead to 83-47. Marysville added a late basket, but GVSU secured the 83-50 victory.
Against Wayne State, the Warriors struck first before senior guard Molly Anderson responded with a 3-pointer, giving the Lakers an early lead. GVSU followed with an 11-2 run fueled by layups from Bisballe and Kamin. VanStee added another 3-pointer, assisted by Kamin, to extend the advantage to 14-6. Wayne State closed the quarter strong and took a 20-18 lead.
The second quarter featured multiple lead changes. Kamin tied the game with two free throws before Wayne State answered with two of its own. Down 24-20, Kamin connected on a 3-pointer assisted by Zeinstra to cut the deficit to one. Zeinstra later hit another 3-pointer, assisted by Anderson, giving GVSU a 32-31 lead with 4:57 remaining in the half. She added another 3-pointer late in the quarter, assisted by Kamin, helping the Lakers take a 47-40 halftime lead.
“The first half, they were running by us full court getting layups,” said head coach Mike Williams. “I thought in the second half, we controlled some of that, and then we got a few breakouts, and those are always those easy baskets.”
Plitzuweit opened the second half with a 3-pointer assisted by Bisballe as the Lakers began to separate. Zeinstra stayed hot from beyond the arc, adding multiple 3-pointers in the fourth quarter, including one assisted by freshman guard Anayya Davis and another assisted by Bisballe. Later, she connected again from 3-point range off an assist from Kamin. Plitzuweit added a free throw to extend the Lakers’ largest lead to 20 points. GVSU closed out the 90-70 win.
“We have been prepping for this team for a while,” said Zeinstra. “It was very bitter when we lost at their place, so this was kind of personal for us.”
In the regional championship against Northwood, Bisballe opened scoring with a layup before the Timberwolves tied the game early. The teams remained close throughout the first quarter, which ended with Northwood holding a 16-15 lead.
The second quarter remained tight. Freshman forward Avery Lay added a layup as the Lakers maintained a narrow advantage. Despite crowd pressure, VanStee converted key free throws and finished the first half 7-for-8 from the free-throw line. GVSU led 34-26 at halftime.
Kamin sparked the Lakers early in the second half with back-to-back 3-pointers assisted by Anderson and Bisballe. After Northwood cut the lead to two, Kamin answered again from beyond the arc off an assist from Lay. Later, Zeinstra forced a steal that led to a VanStee layup assisted by Kamin, extending the advantage to 52-44. Zeinstra closed the third quarter with a buzzer-beating 3-pointer assisted by Plitzuweit, giving GVSU a 55-46 lead.
In the fourth quarter, Kamin connected on another 3-pointer, assisted by Bisballe, as the Lakers continued to control the game. VanStee added a step-back jumper, a floating jump shot and two driving layups to help secure the 69-59 victory and the championship.
Wrapping up the Midwest Regional, VanStee earned the tournament’s Most Outstanding Player Award.
“This is just an amazing team, and anybody can get us going,” said VanStee.
Advancing to the NCAA Elite Eight in Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, the Northwood match was the final home game for the Lakers. GVSU will face off against No. 8 Carson-Newman University (24-10) Tuesday at 6 p.m.
“It was so great to win our last game on our court,” said Zeinstra. “I just love my teammates and the rest of the seniors so much, and I’m really pumped for Pittsburgh.”
