In a game that Grand Valley State did not lead for the first 32 minutes, the Lakers made sure to find themselves on the right end of the scoreboard when the clock hit zero, as GVSU earned its first conference win with a 76-75 victory over Tiffin on Sunday (Dec. 14) in Allendale. The Lakers' largest lead of the game - just four points - came in the final minute, as GVSU knocked down eight consecutive free throws in the final 1:16 of the contest.

Having not played since Dec. 6 and riding a two-game losing streak, Grand Valley State was able to get back on its winning ways on Sunday, as four Lakers reached double figures to even GVSU's overall record at 4-4. The Lakers picked up their first GLIAC win, moving to 1-2 on the year. Tiffin entered Sunday with an identical record, as the Dragons are now 3-5 overall and 0-3 in the conference.

Perhaps not surprisingly, the Lakers four double-digit scorers were nearly perfect at the free throw line. Ricardo Carbajal led all players with 22 points and 12 rebounds, but the junior forward was also a perfect 8-for-8 at the charity stripe. Sophomore guard Luke Ryskamp scored 18 points in 25 minutes off the bench, while connecting on all six of his free throw tries and knocking down a key three-pointer late in the game. 

Senior guard Ryan Sabin (14 points, career-high seven assists) made both of his free throw tries, while junior Darren Kapustka notched 10 points and was 1-for-2 at the line. Kapustka was huge during a second-half surge where he connected on three consecutive three-pointers.

Tiffin led for the entire first half, as the Dragons scored the first five points of the game and led 14-6 just over seven minutes into the half. A pair of old-fashioned three-point plays from Ryskamp and Carbajal kept the Lakers close at 18-16 with 8:31 to play. 

Every time GVSU got close enough to tie the score, Tiffin would keep the Lakers at bay. After the Ryskamp and Carbajal buckets, the Dragons hit back-to-back three-pointers and opened up a 24-16 lead. Sabin scored on a layup late in the half and GVSU would enter the intermission only trailing 32-26.

Grand Valley State trailed 37-28 early in the second half before Carbajal scored on another three-point play and Sabin drained a three-pointer 35 seconds later. After a Dragon layup, Carbajal converted another layup and Ryskamp knocked down a trifecta, tying the score at 39-39 with 14:10 to play. 

As quickly as the Lakers pulled themselves back into the game, Tiffin regained the advantage just as fast. The Dragons rattled off a 10-0 run in less than two minutes to take a 49-39 cushion at the 12:29 mark. Trailing 49-42, Kapustka got hot from beyond the arc.

The junior buried a triple from the right corner, followed two Tiffin free throws with another three-pointer from the opposite corner, and buried his third trifecta in 90 seconds from the right wing to tie the score at 51-51. GVSU finally got over the hump and took a 55-54 lead with 7:39 to play on two Carbajal freebies.

Both teams would trade baskets the rest of the way, with neither team leading by more than three points until the final minute. Sabin made a fast break layup immediately after a Dragon bucket; that gave GVSU a 67-65 lead with 2:54 to go. The Lakers would not trail again.

Free throw shooting closed things out for Grand Valley State. Carbajal made two freebies with 1:16 to go to keep a 70-67 lead. He added another pair with 42 seconds left to make it 72-68. Ryskamp knocked down two shots to make the lead 74-70 with 22 seconds remaining. Finally, junior Aaron Hayes - making his first collegiate start - nailed two free tries, which would prove to be huge, as Tiffin guard Ashton Khan banked in a three-pointer with 0.5 seconds to go, making Hayes' second free throw the deciding factor.

Tiffin (47.3%) outshot GVSU (42.6%) from the field, while both teams shot well from three-point range. The Dragons connected on 9-of-14 triples, while Grand Valley State was 8-of-17. The Lakers (22-of-27) had an eight-point edge at the charity stripe over TU (14-of-22). 

Both teams committed 10 turnovers and had 24 points in the paint. GVSU held a large edge in bench points (33-19) and a good advantage in second chance points (19-10) thanks to a 35-32 rebounding tally.

Sophomore Trevin Alexander pulled down eight rebounds in 20 minutes off the bench, while Hayes scored seven points in his first start. 

Carbajal scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the second half, while Ryskamp provided 13 of his 18 points in the final 20 minutes. All 10 of Kapustka's tallies came in the final half. GVSU's 50 second half points were its highest total in any half this season.

The Lakers return to the Fieldhouse Arena on Tuesday night (Dec. 16) against Ohio Dominican at 8:00 p.m.

Laker Notes
- Senior guard Ryan Sabin, with a pair of three-pointers, moved past Kevin Kooiker (1991-95) for seventh on the GVSU career list with 164 three-pointers. Sabin is just six trifectas from passing Brent Wichlacz (1989-93) for sixth all-time in Laker history
- GVSU recorded season-bests in assists (17), three-point percentage (47.1), free throw percentage (81.5), second chance points (19), fast break points (10), and points in a half (50 in the second half). The team also recorded a season-low 10 turnovers
- Junior Ricardo Carbajal picked up a career-high 12 rebounds and was just two points short of his career-high scoring total of 24 points
- The Lakers won despite Tiffin shooting 47.3 percent from the field and 64.3 percent from three-point range, both of which are season-highs for a GVSU opponent
- Head coach Ric Wesley improves to 11-0 all-time against Tiffin, including a 6-0 mark in Allendale
- Grand Valley State's last one-point victory was a 74-73 win at Ferris State on Feb. 27, 2014
- Ricardo Carbajal tallied 22 points and 12 rebounds; the last Laker to notch 20+ points and 10+ rebounds in a game was Tyrone Lee, who put up 21 points and 14 boards at Northwood on Feb. 16, 2013
- Ryan Sabin's seven assists are the most by a Laker this season