After an energetic first half saw GVSU (9-6, 5-4 GLIAC) lead by as many as nine points and out-rebound the significantly larger Chargers (15-1, 9-0 GLAIC) 14 to 12, the Lakers’ lead dwindled to two points at the break.

Then came the 15-to-2 scoring run to open the second half, a run that appeared to knock the Lakers out of the game. Falling behind by as many as 17 points in the half, the Lakers shot only 25 percent from the field in the latter half of the game.

“Believe me, we’re trying everything we can to avoid runs,” said GVSU head coach Ric Wesley. “Usually, when you lose a game there is one more run for the other team than you had. We’re trying to diversify, we’re trying to change defense … Every game you lose you always say, ‘Well it was that run’ and that’s what kind of happened.”

GVSU rallied, cutting Hillsdale’s lead to eight points with under a minute to play, but couldn’t recover from their scoring struggles, which have plagued the team in its current three-game losing streak to Hillsdale, Northwood University and Lake Superior State University.

“When (Hillsdale’s players) were making their run, I feel like we kind of lost our composure for a second, trying to make plays on our own rather then come together collectively,” said junior guard Tony Peters, who led the Lakers with 10 points off the bench. “We just have to get better as a team and individually … That drought was a part of us needing to get better.”

Complimenting Peters’ scoring for the Lakers was senior center Nick Waddell, who scored nine points and grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Also chipping in was junior point guard Breland Hogan, who added eight points and a pair of assists, albeit on 4-of-14 shooting.

Despite the mad-dash to bring them within striking distance late in the game, the GVSU offense — specifically its starting guards — struggled mightily. Leading scorer James Thomas scored a season-low three points on 1-of-6 shooting, while Hogan, Thomas and freshman Ryan Sabin combined to shoot only 7 of 27 from the field.

“Strength, experience, you know, those are things we have to keep working on,” Wesley said. “We’ve got to be more physically tough to beat good teams. We’re good enough that we can beat everybody, but we’re not so good that we can’t get beat every night.”

The Chargers, who trailed much of the first half, visited the charity stripe early and often, making 20 of 26 while the Lakers shot only eight free throws, making just four of their chances.

“We just have to keep playing hard, and don’t give up,” Waddell said. “We just have to stay together till the horn goes off. Basically all of the (upcoming) games are going to be big. Around this time a lot of teams, they pull apart, that’s one thing we don’t want to do. We don’t want to pull apart, we just want to go back together, be that Grand Valley team.”

The Lakers will be off until Thursday when they return to action at Northern Michigan University, the first of four consecutive road games.

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