First Half Surge Sends #3/3 Grand Valley Past Women's Basketball, 87-64


Carter led the Skyhawks with 23 points on 8-of-15 shooting (PHOTO BY Tom Weishaar)

DeBoer scores 27 of her game-high 29 points in the first half as Lakers build 19-point halftime lead and withstand Skyhawks third quarter rally

DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. (December 22, 2019) – Grand Valley State University, ranked No. 3 in both the Women's Basketball Coaches Association (WBCA) and D2SIDA Division II national polls, shot nearly 57-percent from the floor in the first half, including six three-pointers, to fuel an 87-64 victory over Stonehill College, ranked No. 9 in the D2SIDA East Region poll, in non-conference women's basketball action at the Daytona Beach Shootout at the Ocean Center this afternoon.

Leaders

Stonehill

Grace Carter: 23 points (8-for-15, 5-for-12 threes), four rebounds

Kayla Raymond: season-high matching 12 points, season-high eight rebounds, two steals

Isabella Santoro: 11 points (3-for-6, 4-for-4 FTs)

Kelsey Shaw: 10 points (3-for-6, 2-for-4 threes), three rebounds

 

Grand Valley State

Jenn DeBoer: game-high 29 points, including 27 in the first half, (11-for-19, 5-for-10 threes), five rebounds, seven assists, three steals and a blocked shot

Cassidy Boensch: 27 points (9-for-17, 9-for-12 FTs), including 14 in the first half, eight rebounds, four assists, two steals and a blocked shot

Taryn Taugher: 12 points (5-for-8, 2-for-3 threes), two rebounds

Maddie Dailey: 10 points, three rebounds, four assists and a blocked shot


Raymond added 12 points and a season-best eight rebounds (PHOTO BY Tom Weishaar)

How it Happened

  • Grand Valley shot 56.8-percent (21-for-37) from the floor in the first half, including 6-for-10 (60%) from three-point distance, to build as much as a 24-point lead in the opening half.
  • DeBoer and Boensch combined for 56 points, including 41 of Grand Valley's 56 first half points as the Lakers built a 56-37 halftime lead.
  • Grand Valley used a 17-6 run that turned a 10-10 deadlock midway through the first quarter into an 11-point lead (27-16) with 1:38 left in the quarter after back to back three-pointers from DeBoer.
  • DeBoer sent Grand Valley into the second quarter with a double-digit lead (30-20) with another three and then stretched the Lakers lead to 14 (34-20) with a layup a minute and a half in.
  • Grand Valley led by 11 (37-26) after a Carter three-pointer with 6:23 remaining, when the Lakers used a 15-2 run to open a 24-point lead (52-28) after a three-point play from Boensch with 2:22 left in the half. DeBoer had another nine points during that run for the Lakers.
  • Grand Valley carried a 19 point advantage (56-37) into halftime and then regained a 23-point cushion (67-44) with a Boensch layup midway through the third.
  • Stonehill scored the final 11 points of the third quarter, including five from sophomore Isabella Santoro (Durham, Connecticut/Mercy), pull within 12 (67-55) heading into the fourth. The Skyhawks drew within 11 (71-60) on a jumper from senior Gabrielle Reuter (Plymouth, Massachusetts/Lawrence Academy) with just under eight minutes remaining, but would get no closer.
  • Grand Valley outscored Stonehill 13-4 the rest of the way to seal the win, capped by DeBoer's lone basket of the second half with 2:36 remaining.
  • Stonehill's lone lead of the night (5-4) came on a Shaw jumper 2:20 into the game.

Up Next

Stonehill (7-4, 3-2 NE10) is off until after the New Year, when it returns to Northeast-10 Conference play, on Sunday, January 5, at Southern New Hampshire University at 1:30 p.m. The Skyhawks return home on Saturday, January 11, to host Le Moyne College for an NE10 matchup at 1:30 p.m. Grand Valley State (11-0, 3-0 GLIAC) visits Ferris State University on Thursday, January 2, at 7:30 p.m.

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