Ottawa County, Mich. - Grand Valley State outscored Lewis, 42-49, in the second half to maintain control and defeat the Lewis University men's basketball team, 89-73, on Wednesday afternoon at the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena. The contest marked the final road game of Lewis' non-conference slate.
With the win, the Lakers improved to 5-0 while the Flyers drop to 0-4.
IMPACT PLAYERS
Grand Valley State was led by Ethan Alderink, who finished with a game-high 28 points, going 6-of-13 from the field and 13-of-16 at the free-throw line while adding nine rebounds. Mason Docks chipped in with 14 points, hitting four three-pointers, while Jalen Charity added 13 points and five rebounds. As a team, the Lakers shot 24-of-59 (.407) from the floor and a strong 32-of-42 (.762) from the free-throw line.
For Lewis,
Drew Fisher (Los Angeles, Calif./Crespi Carmelite High School) led the way with 22 points, knocking down four three-pointers and going a perfect 4-for-4 at the charity stripe.
Collin Albert (Cleveland, Ohio/Lutheran Highschool East) added 14 points and a team-high six assists, while
Arius Alijosius (Riverside, Ill./Riverside-Brookfield) provided a spark off the bench with 13 points, hitting three triples.
Timofei Komissarov (St. Petersburg, Russia/GUTID) added nine points and seven rebounds, and
Reid Loewen (Abbotsford, British Columbia, Canada/CTA West) hauled in four boards. As a team, Lewis shot 26-of-53 (.491) from the field but went just 12-of-23 (.522) at the free-throw line.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Grand Valley State opened the game with a flurry, using a 17-5 run over the opening six minutes to build an early double-digit lead. A pair of triples from Fisher helped stabilize the Flyers, and back-to-back threes from Alijosius and Albert later in the half cut the margin to 13 at 20-17 with 8:15 remaining.
Fisher stayed hot, draining his third and fourth threes of the half to keep Lewis within striking distance, and a late 3-pointer from
Anthony Sydnor (Muskegon, Mich./Ferris State) brought the Flyers back within 13. A pair of free throws by Albert in the closing seconds sent Lewis into the locker room trailing 47-34.
Lewis struck first out of the break as
Ryan Hall (Kettering, Ohio/Kettering Fairmont) converted a layup to trim the deficit to 11. The Lakers responded with an 11-4 burst, capped by a Charity and Alderink scoring stretch, to push the lead to 54-38 with 16:45 left.
The Flyers continued to battle, as Komissarov and Albert combined for three straight scores to get within 12 at 58-46. Alijosius later connected on a jumper and a three-pointer to keep Lewis close, making it 60-70 with 7:51 to play.
However, the Lakers pushed the lead back to 15 behind timely shooting from Docks, who knocked down two deep threes in the final minutes. Fisher closed the game with his fourth from beyond the arc, but Grand Valley State's earlier separation proved too much to overcome as the Flyers fell, 89-73.
GAME NOTES
- Hagemaster made the first start of his collegiate career and first appearance this season in a Lewis uniform today.
- Today marked the 17th all-time meeting between Lewis and Grand Valley State. The series record is now, 9-8.
- Fisher 22 points mark his highest scoring outing of the season
- Lewis' bench produced 31 points, led by Alijosius (13) and Komissarov (9).
- The Flyers shot 9-of-22 (.409) from three, their second-highest percentage of the season.
- Komissarov matched his season high with seven rebounds.
UP NEXT
The Flyers will start conference play on Monday, December 1 at 7:30 p.m., as they host the Greyhounds of the University of Indianapolis.
