After a two-game weekend series on the road, the Grand Valley State women’s basketball team finished the toughest part of the schedule, five games in 10 days. In the final two games of the stretch, the Lakers beat Wayne State 68-51 and lost to Saginaw Valley State 68-65.

In the first game of the weekend, the Lakers rolled over Wayne State by taking a commanding lead in the first half. Redshirt sophomore Taylor Parmley led the way with 11 points in the half.

“We were aggressive offensively,” said GVSU coach Mike Williams. “We hunted shots. Defensively, we kept them from penetrating to the basket and tried to keep them off the free throw line.”

GVSU continued to score in the second half with four players reaching the double digit point mark. Senior Bailey Cairnduff led the way with 15 points while Parmley finished right behind her with 14. Piper Tucker recorded a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds, and Lindsay Baker drained four of her seven shots from behind the arc to finish with 12 points.

Although she scored only seven points, senior Janae Langs filled up the stat sheet with seven assists and a career-high 13 rebounds despite her 5’4” frame.

“Everyone was looking to score,” said senior guard Taylor Lutz. “Our energy from the start was a lot better that game.”

Two days later, the Lakers traveled to Saginaw Valley State in a rematch with the Cardinals. In the first meeting of the season, GVSU beat the Cardinals 63-57, using an early lead to propel them to victory. In the series finale, the Cardinals returned the favor.

SVSU jumped out to a 22-15 lead in the first quarter and extended the lead to 10 points by the end of the first half. The GVSU offense found some rhythm in the third quarter, but SVSU continued to rack up the points, extending its lead to 14 points.

The Cardinals did this all without contributions from forward Emily Wendling, a key component in the offense, because of early foul trouble. Wendling was held to below 10 points for only the third time this season, finishing with eight points.

“We wanted (Parmley) to go at her a little bit, attack her,” Williams said. “She was in there in the fourth quarter when we made that run.”

In the final quarter, the GVSU defense finally began to make some stops and cut the lead to three points with a minute left in the game.

“At halftime we made two defensive adjustments, and I thought they both were key,” Williams said. “We also came out and made some shots and got to the rim.”

The Cardinals extended their lead to five with 10 seconds left, but GVSU’s Baker drained a 3-pointer with six seconds left to make it a one-possession game. After a GVSU foul, SVSU converted on one of two free throws, keeping the Lakers alive.

With two seconds left needing a 3-pointer, SVSU’s Katelyn Carriere stole the ball to secure the win. Carriere also finished with a team-high 16 points.

GVSU’s Parmley scored a game-high 18 points while Langs scored 11 points and hauled in six rebounds.

After completing the five-game gauntlet of the schedule, the Lakers won three games and sit tied for second in the GLIAC North Division with Michigan Tech. The Lakers will begin a four-game home stand starting with Northwood Thursday, Feb. 9 at 6 p.m. followed by Lake Superior State Saturday, Feb. 11 at 1 p.m.

“I am so excited to be back at home,” said junior Korynn Hincka. “I love the atmosphere, having the band there and all the fans. It’s going to be nice to be back at home.”