Courtesy of D.J. Foster, Grand Valley State Assistant Meda Relations Director
Grand Valley State saw its incredible postseason run through the NCAA Tournament come to a close, as the Lakers dropped a 67-47 decision to #4 Alaska Anchorage on Wednesday night (Mar. 23) in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The program's second-ever Final Four appearance capped off a 2015-16 season that saw GVSU win 26 games, the third-most in school history.
After winning the last four NCAA Tournament games as the underdog in all four contests, the nationally unranked Lakers were unable to continue the Cinderella run against an Alaska Anchorage team that improves to 38-2 this season. Grand Valley State, the #7 seed out of the Midwest Region, defeated three top-20 teams in its four-game NCAA Tournament win streak and remained as the lowest-seeded team in the Final Four, along with a pair of #1 seeds and second-seeded Alaska Anchorage.
GVSU finishes the 2015-16 campaign with a 26-10 record and the second appearance in the national semifinals. It was also the first NCAA Elite Eight and Final Four berths since the 2005-06 season, when the Lakers captured the Division II National Championship.
Speaking of national championships, #4 Alaska Anchorage will take on #1 Lubbock Christian in the title game on Apr. 4 in Indianapolis, Ind. Lubbock Christian is 34-0, meaning the two teams competing for the championship are a combined 72-2.
Alaska Anchorage, one of the top scoring teams in the country, shot 54.5 percent from the field and went 8-of-17 from three-point range. Despite that offensive production, Grand Valley State held the Seawolves to their sixth-lowest point total in their 40-game season. AAU came into the game averaging 80.7 points per game and scored 67 on Wednesday.
The Laker offense struggled with Alaska Anchorage's fast-paced "mayhem" tempo, as GVSU shot 31.9 percent from the floor and went 6-of-25 from three-point range. Both teams scored 11 points at the charity stripe; the Lakers were 11-of-17, while AAU made 11-of-14 attempts. The Seawolves outrebounded Grand Valley State 32-21. Despite the fast tempo, the Lakers actually forced 19 AAU turnovers and committed 17 miscues themselves.
After leading all scorers in Tuesday's Elite Eight victory over #19 Pittsburg State, redshirt freshman Taylor Parmley again the led the Lakers in scoring in the semifinals. The forward totaled a team-best 13 points, knocking down 7-of-8 free throws off the bench. Junior guard Lindsay Baker drained a trio of three-pointers for nine points and classmate Piper Tucker added nine points and a pair of steals.
GVSU scored the opening points of the ballgame, as junior guard Taylor Lutz drained a three-pointer just 30 seconds into the contest. Parmley scored on an old-fashioned three-point play at the 6:54 mark, giving the Lakers a 6-5 advantage. It would be Grand Valley State's final lead of the game, as Alaska Anchorage scored the game's next nine points and took a 14-6 cushion.
Baker buried a pair of three-pointers in the final 2:19 of the first quarter to keep the score at 19-12 after the first 10 minutes. In the first quarter, the Lakers were 4-for-6 from the field, but committed nine turnovers as they tried to adjust to the fast pace set by Alaska Anchorage. Moreover, the Seawolves shot 8-of-12 in the first quarter, including 3-of-5 from downtown.
The score was 22-12 before Baker made another three-pointer and Parmley scored on a short jumper, cutting the deficit to 22-17. Consecutive layups from Tucker and Parmley near the two-minute mark brought the Lakers within 29-21, but Alaska Anchorage scored the final eight points of the quarter and took a commanding 37-21 lead into halftime. Both teams attempted 24 shots in the first half; AAU made 14 of those attempts, GVSU notched eight makes.
Alaska Anchorage also scored the first eight points of the second half, capping the game-changing 16-point run with back-to-back three-pointers from guards Jessica Madison and Jenna Buchanan. The last triple made the score 45-21 with 8:03 to play in the third frame. After trailing by as many as 27 points in the second half, the closest the Lakers could get the rest of the way was an 18-point deficit on two Parmley free throws late in the fourth quarter.
Lutz provided eight points, a game-high six assists, and three steals in the loss, while junior guard Janae Langs recorded a team-high five boards. Junior Kayla Dawson and freshman Lindsay Kusbel both added four points.
Leading the way for Alaska Anchorage was Madison, who scored a game-best 14 points. Post players Alysha Devine and GNAC Player of the Year Megan Mullings each scored 12 points, while Buchanan supplied 10 points as the fourth Seawolf starter in double-digits.
GVSU led in points off turnovers (20-18) and bench points (26-17), while each team scored 18 points in the paint.
All 11 players that saw the court on Wednesday night for Grand Valley State will return next season for the youthful Lakers, who started five juniors in each of the last 19 games. Juniors Bailey Cairnduff, Dawson, Lutz, and Tucker started in all 36 games this season, while Langs started the final 19 contests after the season-ending injury to senior point guard Brionna Barnett.
