As the Grand Valley State University women’s basketball team prepared for its game last Thursday night in Findlay, Ohio, junior guard Briauna Taylor had the number 11 in the back of her mind.

Taylor needed 11 points to become the 21st player in GVSU history to score 1,000 career points.

“Coming into (Thursday’s) game one of my goals was to get 1,000,” Taylor said. “It was one of the things on my to-do list and I’m just happy I had the chance to.”

The Livonia, Mich. native surpassed her goal, tallying 21 points and 12 rebounds to lead the Lakers in their 78-67 loss to Findlay University.

Taylor, who began playing organized basketball in sixth grade, was determined to be successful at a young age.

“Playing all of my life, I always wanted to play basketball in college and do something great,” she said. “I’ve been going to games since I was a toddler and I always just wanted to get out there and play, so having an opportunity like this is awesome.”

From a young toddler to a Laker student-athlete, Taylor’s competitive nature has not wavered. Even after scoring 1,000 career points, the junior still has milestones she wants to reach before her career as a Laker proceeds.

“I really want to get to 500 rebounds,” she said. “And I want end this season with a win against Ferris.”

With one year of eligibility remaining, Taylor needs 13 rebounds to reach her next goal — one that could still be achieved this season.

For GVSU head coach Janel Burgess, Taylor’s statistical accomplishments are a strong reflection of her natural athletic ability and desire to improve and are a result of being surrounded by teammates who challenge her to be better.

“Her teammates that have been around her have done a great job of getting her the ball,” Burgess said. She has been able to continue to grow throughout her career and continue to find different ways to score.”

Sophomore forward Lindsay McCarty credits Taylor’s court vision and versatility on the offensive end as two of the elements that helped Taylor score 1,000 points in her career.

“Briauna has a lot of attributes that not everyone has,” McCarty said. “She is so driven and is able to score off her left and her right hand, which helps her. She also has become a really good 3-point shooter, which helps a lot, too.”

As Taylor continues to find additional ways to contribute to her team, the emergence of her three-point shot has yielded 105 points for the Lakers this season.

Despite the milestones that Taylor has already achieved on the court, Burgess knows the junior has potential to be even better.

“We’re going to continue to push her to be more consistent and really be able to continue to score,” she said. “We’ll continue to push her work hard to finish off the dribble, to continue to be a great three-point shooter and to continue to refine that low-post presence that I think she has.”

Taylor and the Lakers will close out the regular season on Saturday with a 6 p.m. tilt against Ferris State University in the Fieldhouse Arena.

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