Grand Valley State 95 vs. Purdue Northwest 69

After losing the previous six matchups, the Grand Valley State men’s basketball hopped on a bus to Hammond, Indiana, to face newly added GLIAC foe Purdue Northwest just two days after the end of the fall semester Saturday, Dec. 16.

The Lakers came into the contest with laser focus, defeating Purdue Northwest 95-69 to break the losing streak and set their offense in the right direction moving forward. With the win, GVSU improved their overall record to 4-7 (1-4 GLIAC).

GVSU took full control of the contest in the first half, completing 8-11 field goals from behind the 3-point line to help outscore the Pride 54-24 heading into halftime. Purdue Northwest outscored the Lakers 45-41 in the second half, but the first-half deficit was too big for the Pride to overcome.

Redshirt sophomore Hunter Hale led the contest with 19 points (7-11 FG, 4-7 3FG), along with five rebounds and four steals. Freshman forward Jake Van Tubbergen added 14 points, along with six rebounds and three assists. Junior center Justin Greason has struggled at points this season, but he played well with 12 points and nine rebounds in only 15 minutes.

Grand Valley State 101 vs. Lawrence Tech 62

The Lakers dominated Lawrence Tech 101-62 on their home court Monday, Dec. 18. The win improved their overall record to 5-7 (1-4 GLIAC). 

The Lakers dominated both halves, outscoring Lawrence Tech 53-31 in the first half and 48-31 in the second. Grand Valley State’s defense held their opponents to a low 41 percent from the field, while their offense made 55 percent of their chances. Seven different GVSU players scored in the double digits. 

Hunter Hale once again led the offensive load, accumulating 19 points, while sophomore Ben Lubitz and Justin Greason each scored 15. Other double-digit scorers included Lance Dollison (11), while Jake Van Tubbergen, Drake Baar and Brett Lauf all scored 10 each.

Grand Valley State 82 vs. Rochester 73 

After the Grand Valley State men’s basketball team finally had a chance to go home for the holidays, their break was only short lived. The Lakers took on their toughest opponent of the break, the Rochester College Warriors, on Saturday, Dec. 30, at the GVSU Fieldhouse. 

The Laker defense allowed 11 Rochester 3-pointers, but GVSU’s rebounding and unselfish ball movement gave the team the needed boost to take down the non-conference opponent. Both teams shot 43 percent from the field, but the Lakers captured eight more rebounds and five more assists than the Warriors. 

Sophomore guard Ben Lubitz scored a career-high 20 points (6-11 FG, 4-7 3FG) to lead all players in scoring. Leading the scoring attack off the bench were guards Lance Dollison, who tallied 13 points (5-10 FG, 3-7 3FG), and junior Zach West, adding 11 points and seven rebounds. Freshman forward Jake Van Tubbergen only scored 4 points but was a major contributor in the overall ball movement with a game-high six assists, along with six rebounds and three blocks.

Grand Valley State 88 vs. Northwood 80

After a rough start to the beginning of their season, the Grand Valley State men’s basketball team faced off against GLIAC foe Northwood on the road in hopes of getting the right start to the new year on Thursday, Jan. 4. 

GVSU entered halftime down 38-36, but a strong 52-42 second half, willed by senior point guard Myles Miller, propelled the Lakers to an 88-80 victory. The win was their fourth straight on the break and first of the new year. Miller played every single minute of the second half, when he scored 10 of his total 12 points. 

Freshman forward Jake Van Tubbergen started the season with a leg injury but has now cemented himself as one of the Lakers’ most reliable options on both ends of the floor. Van Tubbergen finished the contest with a team-high 16 points, along with six rebounds, two steals and two assists. Other major contributions came from Zach West (14 points), Hunter Hale (12 points) and Chris Dorsey (12 points).

With the win, the Lakers improved their overall record back to an even 7-7 overall record (2-4 GLIAC).