GVSU's title run ends in Elite 8

Thu, Mar 27, 2008

SPRINGFIELD, Mass. — It was another disappointing finish to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the Grand Valley State University men's basketball team.

Wednesday's defeat just didn't feature any last-second heroics.

Third-ranked Winona State (Minn.) University dominated play for much of the game on its way to a 67-54 win over the top-ranked Lakers.

The third-ranked Warriors advanced to tonight's national semifinal, while GVSU finished with a 36-1 record. The 36 wins tied the Division II single-season record of the 1949 Regis (Colo.) University team.

"I'm extremely proud of my guys, but it just wasn't in the cards tonight," GVSU coach Ric Wesley said. "We played hard and our effort was good, but Winona State just made some shots early in the second half. We were just never to get any rhythm going to make a run."

Winona State seized control of the game with a 20-5 run over the opening 11 minutes, 29 seconds of the second half. A David Johnson 3-pointer put the Warriors ahead 44-34.

The Lakers cut Winona State's lead to 50-46 on a Callistus Eziukwu dunk with 6:42 remaining but failed to get any closer after not capitalizing on their next two possessions.

Eziukwu led the Lakers with 19 points on 9-of-15 shooting from the field and eight points.

Justin Ringler scored 15 points off the bench for Grand Valley, while starting guard Jason Jamerson added 14. Ringler had a double-double with a game-high 11 rebounds.

Jamerson struggled from the floor, making only 5-of-17 shots. The Lakers shot 32 percent from the field in the second half and a season-low 35.7 percent for the game.

Only three other players scored for GVSU.

Grand Valley took a 29-24 halftime lead with an 18-0 run over the final 11 minutes, 41 seconds of the first half.

Winona State received 29 points from guard Jonte Flowers. He went 11-of-17 from the field, including 5-of-8 from 3-point range.

The Lakers lost in the 2007 Elite Eight to eventual national champion Barton (N.C.) College on a shot at the buzzer.

GVSU's senior class, which included Eziukwu, Jamerson, L.J. Kilgore, Joel Whymer, Tommy Fellows and Nick Freer finished with a 110-20 record. The Lakers were 92-10 during their final three years, with two Division II Elite Eight appearances, two Great Lakes Regional titles, two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference tournament titles and three GLIAC North Division titles.

"This senior class set a mark that will be very difficult to match," Wesley said. "This is the group that has been with me for the entire time. I will never forget what they accomplished on and off the court."

— From the Holland Sentinel