Any gambler worth their chips knows when to let it ride, just like any shooter worth their mark knows when to ante up and shoot.

Three games into 2014, the Grand Valley State University women’s basketball team had failed to shoot less than 43.6 percent from the field in any game.

Starting on Jan. 2 hosting Hillsdale College, GVSU cashed in with an 80-69 win on 43.6-percent shooting, a 77-68 victory over Findlay University on Jan. 4 while shooting a season-high .609 clip and then raked in an 82-71 decision against Walsh University on Thursday.

In what was the first meeting between the programs, the Lakers, led by a season-high scoring jackpot of 29 points from sophomore guard Bailey Cairnduff, the most points scored by a Laker since Briauna Taylor netted 30 points in a victory over Michigan Technological University in January 2013, took the house.

“Bailey’s been playing with great confidence and we knew a high-scoring game was going to come for her eventually,” GVSU head coach Janel Burgess said. “I think you have to give her teammates credit in setting her up, but she was ready to shoot the ball when it was delivered to her and took what the defense gave her.”

Cairnduff, who leads GVSU in both points per game (13.3) and minutes (28), shot 12-for-19 from the field, including five 3-pointers, and also tallied five rebounds and two assists in the game.

Senior guard Dani Crandall pooled her points with Cairnduff for 44 combined, and the pair powered GVSU to a sixth straight victory in GLIAC play, five of which have come by 11 points or more. Crandall, who collected nine of her 15 points at the free-throw line, also contributed five rebounds and three assists. Freshman forward Kayla Dawson joined her two teammates in double-figures with 10 points, while classmate Piper Tucker hauled in a game-high seven boards.

Tied 25-25 with 3:02 left in the first half, one of Cairnduff’s five treys put the Lakers up to stay and sparked a 12-4 run to end the half. GVSU went into the locker room up 37-29, and returned to the floor refreshed to build a lead that grew as high as 19 points.

“Our offense was flowing really well, our sets were just working every time and it was just awesome to see how everything came together,” Cairnduff said. “I have to give it all to my teammates. I was shooting the ball well, but I wouldn’t have gotten those looks without them executing the plays correctly and looking for the right pass at the right time.”

Walsh (5-6, 1-5 GLIAC) made a final push, but the damage had already been done — the Cavaliers were held to 31.8-percent shooting from the field. GVSU’s 45 points in the second stanza matched its season-high for most points in a half, and GVSU’s 82 points were also a season-high.

“We moved the ball extremely well, shot the ball extremely well for the third game in a row and played with great confidence,” Burgess said. “We didn’t have the greatest defensive performance, giving up 71 points, but collectively we found a way to grind out a good road victory.”

GVSU played at Malone University (8-5 overall, 3-4 GLIAC), and learned on the court, just as it is in the casino, the luck always runs out eventually and the house wins more often than it loses. GVSU shot a season low 26.9-percent from the floor in the 69-52 loss against the Pioneers that ended the Lakers six-game GLIAC winning streak.

“Malone challenged us offensively and we shot extremely poor,” Burgess said. “That put us in some desperation situations and we didn’t find a way to do the defensive stuff we needed to down the stretch.”

The Lakers held Malone scoreless down 29-11 with 7:17 remaining in the opening stanza and constructed a 16-0 run. Freshman forward Kayla Dawson netted eight points during the stretch. Dawson paced GVSU with a career-high 13 points, and reached double figures for a sixth straight game. Dawson also recorded four rebounds and notched a steal.

“Kayla Dawson is like a little Rottweiler,” Burgess said. “She never stops, she’s fearless, she’s strong as all get out and she doesn’t make anything more difficult than what it needs to be. She’s able to draw fouls, she’s very competitive and nothing intimidates her.”

Cairnduff finished with 10 points and a game-high three steals, while junior guard Janelle McQueen chipped in with eight points and five boards.

“In games, I try to bring physicality and that’s starting to shine through,” Dawson said. “I started the season as an ‘end of the bench’ player, but I’ve found my way and have started to be who I usually am when I play.

“We still need to improve our communication on defense and defensive rebounding as a team — these past two games, we’ve given up too many second chance opportunities, which we need to limit — but it’s all starting to come together.”

Up 29-27 at halftime, the Pioneers went on to score the game’s next 11 points to put the Lakers away early in the second stanza.

A three-point play by Tucker at the 10:46 mark pulled the Lakers within six points, but GVSU would get no closer.

“We’re striving for consistency, from the way that we start games through the way that we finish them, and we have to understand that 50-percent of your shots aren’t going to fall through the hoop every game,” Burgess said. “You have to be able to rely on your defense to sustain through some of those tough games, especially when you’re on the road.”

GVSU (8-4, 6-2 GLIAC) will continue a four-game road stint in a more northward direction, beginning with a 5:30 p.m. tipoff against Northern Michigan University (10-2, 7-1 GLIAC) on Thursday and concluding with a 1:00 p.m. game against Michigan Tech (10-2, 8-0 GLIAC) on Saturday.

“Those will be probably be two of the toughest venues we’ll see all season,” Burgess said. “Our team will be focused and ready, and we’ll make no excuses, understanding that when you cross the bridge, you get ready to compete.”