The Grand Valley State women’s basketball team split its pair of GLIAC North Division games against Saginaw Valley State and Hillsdale last week. The Lakers defeated SVSU, 69-59, at home on Thursday night before suffering a 73-57 loss at Hillsdale on Saturday.

On Thursday, GVSU used a lockdown performance defensively to outlast the Cardinals at Fieldhouse Arena. The Lakers had five blocks, 10 steals and forced 16 SVSU turnovers.

“Our success came from our defense keeping them from settling in,” said GVSU coach Janel Burgess.

Junior guard Brionna Barnett was one of four Lakers to reach double figures, finishing with a team-high 20 points on 8-of-19 shooting from the field. Sophomore forward Kayla Dawson had 16 points and five rebounds, while sophomore guard Taylor Lutz and senior forward Kat LaPrairie had 10 apiece.

Saturday’s game at Hillsdale proved to be more difficult, as the Lakers were unable to manufacture enough stops in the 16-point loss.

The stat line doesn’t show the intensity that was present all game, however, as multiple fouls on both sides and constant changes of possession made for a very physical contest.

In the end, it came down to rebounds as the Chargers held a 48-30 edge on the glass.

“We play in spurts and our problem this season is being consistent,” Barnett said. “We can play 30 out of 40 minutes of defense in order to win. If we don’t rebound we can’t get second-chance points, and then everyone’s in a tough position if the offense cannot get going.”

Barnett, who was able to contribute 12 points against Hillsdale, was one of three Lakers to score in double figures. Dawson led with 17 points while sophomore forward Piper Tucker had 10.

“Our defensive rebounding struggled and they had a lot of opportunities to score,” Dawson said. “It hurt us a lot. It comes down to who’s boxing out who.”

The loss to Hillsdale puts GVSU at 13-5 overall and 10-4 in GLIAC play. The Lakers are in a second-place tie in the North Division standings with Northern Michigan.

“The biggest thing now is our rivalry on Monday against Ferris,” Burgess said. “We need to focus and be able to bounce back at this point.”