How GVSU men edged Purdue Northwest
ALLENDALE — The Grand Valley State men’s basketball team survived a battle with Purdue Northwest, coming out victorious, 77-74, on Thursday night inside of the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena.
Trevor Smith made the play of the night in crunch time to set up the Lakers’ fourth consecutive victory. As the shot clock expired, Smith drove toward the basket and hoisted a floater that banked in with just 12 seconds on the clock to give the Lakers a three-point lead. On the final possession, Purdue Northwest missed a pair of 3s to tie the game, and the Lakers sealed another victory.
Daniel Kiely led all GVSU scorers with 17 points. Kiely went 6-for-13 from the field and tied with Britain Harris for the Laker lead in assists with four. Kingsley Okanu earned the third Laker double-double of the season with 13 points and 11 rebounds. Okanu was 5-for-8 from the floor and went 3-for-4 from the free-throw line.
Harris and Jalen Charity both added 11 points of their own to the Lakers’ scoring on Thursday. It was the first time since Dec. 31 against Aquinas that the Lakers had four or more players in double figures.
GVSU (12-8, 6-4 GLIAC) have won four consecutive games and have won nine of their last 11, dating back to a victory against Quincy on Dec. 6. The Lakers’ victory secures a regular-season sweep against the Pride (10-10, 3-7).
Subscribe:Get the most local sports coverage with this special offer
The game between the Lakers and the Pride was a back-and-forth affair, seeing 11 lead changes and 10 ties. No team had an advantage larger than five points at any time during the game.
GVSU won the battle on the glass, outrebounding Purdue Northwest, 38-31. The Lakers scored 52 of their 77 points from the paint, while the Pride managed just 26 points from the paint.
This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: GVSU men edged Purdue Northwest in the final seconds at home.
