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ALLENDALE, Mich. - Unbeaten and unchallenged most of the season, Grand Valley State survived a tough test from Northern Kentucky University on Sunday night in the semifinals of the NCAA Division II Great Lakes Region Tournament. The top-seeded Lakers rallied for a 62-58 win over NKU in the GVSU Fieldhouse. Grand Valley State, ranked No. 1 nationally in the NCAA Division II poll, improved to 35-0 and will meet Findlay for the regional championship on Tuesday night. Jason Jamerson scored 16 points and came up with a key blocked shot late in the second half to spark Grand Valley State. NKU held a 50-47 lead with 3:49 left after a Billy Finnell basket, but Jamerson countered with two free throws to make it 50-49. Jamerson then made a 3-pointer with 2:54 remaining to give Grand Valley State a 52-50 lead, and he later blocked a 3-point attempt by NKU’s Dennis Gagai with the Lakers holding a 54-53 advantage. The Lakers made seven free throws in the final 1:04 and held off the fourth-seeded Norse. “Jamerson is an outstanding athlete, and he really made some big plays for them late in the game,” NKU head coach Dave Bezold said. “We played well in a tough environment and had our chances, but Grand Valley State has a great team and won the game.” NKU had a chance to tie the game in the final seconds, but Anthony Teague missed a 3-pointer with 13 seconds left. Justin Ringler hit a free throw for the final margin. DeAaron Williams poured in 20 of his 26 points in the second half as NKU (21-8) took a 45-42 lead with 7:40 remaining in the game. Williams knocked down six 3-pointers in the second half to spark the Norse. “DeAaron is a good shooter, and he stepped up and made big shots all night,” Bezold said. “He had some open looks and took advantage of a couple of match-ups that favored him. DeAaron is a very unselfish player and he has been learning our system since joining us in December, but he has a great deal of talent. As good as he was offensively tonight, I thought he was just as good on defense.” Williams, a junior forward from Peoria, Ill., finished 8-for-10 from the field and added four steals. He was 6-for-8 from 3-point range. “My teammates gave me some chances to score, and I took advantage of it,” Williams said. “I felt it, and the shots were falling.” Harrison Morton added nine points and five rebounds in his final game for NKU, which was 10-for-29 from 3-point range. Finnell finished with six points and five assists. Callistus Eziukwu led the Lakers with 18 points and nine rebounds. It marked the second straight season that Grand Valley State eliminated NKU from the NCAA Tournament. A year ago, the Lakers defeated the Norse, 66-42, in the regional championship game at Findlay, Ohio.
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