In their best start to a season since 2021, the Grand Valley State University men’s basketball team (12-3) faced off in a cross-town showdown against Davenport University (9-7) in a 90-50 win at home in the Fieldhouse Arena.
Despite the soon-to-come domination, Davenport opened scoring with a pair of layups. GVSU got its first points of the game via a 3-point shot by senior forward Jalen Charity. After the first timeout, the Lakers had two points and two turnovers, trailing 7-5. GVSU took the lead with a driving layup by redshirt senior guard Trevor Smith Jr., pulling ahead 8-7, a lead they did not give up the rest of the game.
With Davenport calling their second timeout of the half, the Lakers took charge with a 12-4 scoring run, where GVSU scored eight points from the paint and compiled seven turnovers, going up 17-9.
“Basketball is a game of runs,” said head coach Cornell Mann. “Teams will make runs, and because we have the type of dudes we have, character-wise, understanding the game (the) way we do, then we (are) just chopping wood. If a team makes a run, we won’t get rattled.”
Coming out of the third timeout, the lead was 24-12 Lakers, thanks to a 3-point shot by redshirt junior David Wilkerson assisted by Charity.
After two dramatic missed dunks, the Lakers readjusted, and their aggressive play led to 12 points and seven turnovers. At the end of the first half, GVSU led the Panthers 45-20. Graduate forward Ethan Alderink and Wilkerson combined shot 3-5 (60%) from the 3-point line.
“For me, at least, they were very easy catch-and-shoot 3-pointers,” said Alderink. “That’s a testament to how we would move the ball (by) driving, kicking (and) making the right place each time.”
Wilkerson credited his teammates and point-guard play, leading to an 11-point, four-assist and three-rebound performance.
“(Coach Mann) talks about it all the time, staying shot ready,” said Wilkerson. “I’m playing with two really good point guards so they kind of make my job easy.”
Going into the second half, the Lakers continued to let the good times roll. A 3-point shot from junior guard Mason Docks, assisted by Wilkerson, extended the Lakers’ impressive lead to 48-20. After the first four minutes of the half, the Lakers led 60-24, compiling 13 turnovers and 16 points. With 12:17 to go, the Lakers finally found the swagger they were missing with a slam dunk by sophomore forward Cam Regnerus. At the second timeout, GVSU forced 17 turnovers and controlled the paint with 20 points. Going into the third timeout of the half, the Lakers were up by 4o points, leading 72-32.
With 7:11 remaining on the clock, GVSU had a 78-40 lead, earning a total of 24 points from the paint while still holding on to 17 turnovers.
With the game pretty much put to bed by the roar of the GVSU offense, the Lakers were able to dribble toward their 12th win of the season and fifth victory in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. The final score read 90-50, a dominating 40-point win for GVSU.
Alderink led the team with 24 points on 9-12 shooting from the field, along with seven rebounds. The Lakers shot 40% from the field, while the Pride shot 38.9%.
The Lakers will next travel to Big Rapids to face their rival Ferris State University (7-7) Monday, Jan. 19.