Grand Valley State Clinches Consecutive Division II Women’s Basketball Titles
Grand Valley State captured its second straight Division II women’s national championship Saturday. The Lakers beat Indiana University of Pennsylvania 72-49 at UPMC Cooper Fieldhouse in Pittsburgh.
Game overview
GVSU opened the game with an 8-0 run and led 17-8 after the first quarter. An 11-0 burst late in the second quarter pushed the margin to 37-17, and the Lakers took a 41-24 lead into halftime.
IUP cut the deficit to 43-29 early in the third quarter. Paige VanStee hit a 3-pointer during an 8-0 personal run that restored a large lead, and the Crimson Hawks never got closer than 20 points again.
Defense and tournament dominance
The Lakers limited IUP to 31.1 percent shooting and just 2-of-12 from three. IUP had averaged 77.5 points and 49.5 percent shooting entering the game.
GVSU held All-American Nyshae’ Weaver to eight points on 2-of-14 shooting. Over its final three tournament games, GVSU won by an average of 33 points and held opponents to season-low totals.
Key performers
Paige VanStee paced the offense with 25 points on 9-of-11 shooting. The senior also grabbed nine rebounds and added three steals plus three blocks.
Nicole Kamin finished with 18 points, five rebounds, four assists and three blocks. MacKenzie Bisballe scored 18 points on 9-of-12 shooting, grabbed seven rebounds, and led the team with five blocks.
The Lakers shot 62.2 percent as a team in the title game. GVSU also recorded 13 blocks and went 5-of-13 from beyond the arc.
Path to the title
GVSU reached the Final Four after beating Northwood 69-59 in the Midwest Regional final. The championship capped a six-game tournament run for the top-seeded Lakers.
Coach and program legacy
Mike Williams, in his 11th season as head coach, earned his third national championship. He guided GVSU to titles in 2025 and 2026 and was an assistant on the program’s 2006 title team.
Williams joins a select group of Division II coaches with three national crowns. He credited focus and defense for the team’s success, saying the group remained locked in throughout the season.
Senior class achievements
The departing seniors include VanStee, Kamin, Molly Anderson, Lexi Plitzuweit and Avery Zeinstra. That class leaves with five GLIAC regular-season crowns and four conference tournament titles.
They also helped secure three Midwest Regional championships, three Final Four appearances and two national championships. The group provided leadership during a season that required replacing three starters and two key reserves.
Report by Filmogaz.com.
