With just under 30 seconds to play, the Grand Valley State University women’s basketball team was in jeopardy of opening GLIAC play with an 0-2 record.

After a disappointing 90-66 loss at Ashland University, GVSU was running out of time Saturday against Lake Erie. Trailing 50-48, junior Kellie Watson stepped up and took control of the game, hitting a lay-up that eventually sent the game into overtime.
In the extra session, she would not be denied.

Watson scored the final nine GVSU points, and the team was able to escape with a 57-52 win.

“I was just trying to find an open spot to shoot from,” Watson said. “And my teammates kept finding me. It was really important that we were able to bounce back and find a way to win.”

Against a pressing Lake Erie College team, the Lakers were able to work their way down the court and find open looks offensively. Burgess was impressed with the team’s mental toughness in the second game of the road trip.

“We were able to keep our composure,” said GVSU head coach Janel Burgess. “The execution is not as solid is as it should be, but the effort is always there. I’m very proud of these young ladies.”

Junior forward Briauna Taylor recorded her third double-double of the season, scoring 18 points and pulling down 12 rebounds. Senior Alex Stelfox also played well for the Lakers, contributing with six points, eight rebounds and three steals.

“The win should help us in practice next week,” Taylor said. “I think we’ll learn a lot from watching film. We need to make sure we’re doing the things we need to do in order to win.”

The Lakers (4-1, 1-1 GLIAC) started the Ohio road trip on Nov. 29 with a loss to the nation’s No. 1 team in Ashland University.

Eagles’ forward Kari Daugherty — the Preseason Player of the Year by the Women’s Division II Bulletin — was not contained, running up 30 points, 10 rebounds and 7 assists.

“There’s a lot we can learn from the Ashland game,” Taylor said. “We need to work on staying disciplined and organized offensively.”
Watson shot 5-10 from the field in the loss, leading the Lakers with 15 points. Stelfox also chipped in with 10 points.

The Lakers had little success rebounding the basketball in the first half, only grabbing seven boards to Ashland’s 21. GVSU went into the locker room down 52-29.

“We gave up too many points and didn’t rebound well enough to win,” Burgess said. “We were excited to get back on the court (against Lake Erie).”

GVSU will host two games this week at Fieldhouse Arena, starting Thursday with Tiffin University at 8 p.m. followed by Ohio Dominican University on Saturday at 3 p.m.
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