WISCONSIN DELLS, Wis. -- The Minnesota State women's basketball team (0-1) lost to Grand Valley St. (1-0) 101-65 on Friday. The Mavericks forced 24 turnovers and scored 24 points off them, but were out rebounded 48-20.
Brooklyn Lewis scored 12 points on 6-of-10 shooting and tallied a team-high four steals.
Alyvia Padgett finished with 12 points, three steals and three assists.
Rhyan Holmgren added nine points and two steals.
"We faced an outstanding basketball team right out of the gates in our season opener," said Head Coach
Emilee Thiesse. "What a tremendous challenge and opportunity for our young team. I thought we showed incredible growth as the game progressed, settling into the core of who we are as a team. I couldn't be prouder of our resilience in the second half and the way this group responded after taking an early punch. We learned a great deal about ourselves tonight, and I love the hunger this team has to continue growing, competing, and getting better."
The Mavericks trailed 31-14 after the first quarter as Grand Valley shot 14 of 17 from the field, including 3 of 3 from 3-point range, while the Mavericks went 7 of 19 and 0 of 2 from 3-point range. MSU forced seven turnovers with four steals, but the Lakers held a 13-3 rebounding edge, recorded nine assists and four blocks, and scored 22 points in the paint. A late Minnesota State scoring drought from 4:34 to :16 helped widen the gap before Lewis' layup ended the stretch.
GVSU outscored the Mavericks 32-13 in the second quarter, shooting 13 of 22 from the field and 3 of 6 from 3-point range. The Mavericks committed 11 turnovers in the quarter, while the Lakers recorded eight steals and scored 17 points off turnovers to take a 63-27 lead into halftime.
The Mavericks outscored Grand Valley 23-20 in the third quarter, forcing 12 turnovers with nine steals and turning them into 14 points. The Mavericks shot 11 of 19 and scored 18 points in the paint, but GVSU controlled the glass 15-3 with five offensive rebounds and still carried an 83-50 lead into the fourth quarter.
In the fourth quarter, the Mavericks matched Grand Valley with seven field goals, but the Lakers outscored the Mavericks 18-15 while going 3 of 4 at the free-throw line to the Mavericks' zero attempts. Grand Valley also held a 10-8 rebounding edge in the quarter and closed out a 101-65 result.
MacKenzie Bisballe scored 32 points on 13-of-18 shooting, made four 3-pointers and added seven rebounds, two blocks, two steals and two assists. Lauren Slagle finished with 14 points, six rebounds, five assists, three blocks and three steals. Anayya Davis added 11 points, seven rebounds and five assists. Avery Lay recorded 10 points, eight rebounds, two assists and two steals.
Up next, the Mavericks face Lake Superior State on Saturday at 11:15 a.m. in Wisconsin Dells, Wis.
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