ALLENDALE, Mich. - Tiffin men's basketball could not keep pace with Grand Valley State on Friday night, falling to the Lakers by a score of 97-81.

With the loss, the Dragons fall to 0-3 on the young season.

The Lakers shot a very efficient 57% (41-72) from the field on the evening compared to just under 50% for Tiffin, and that proved to be enough to be the difference as the two teams matched up quite well in most other categories. The other big advantage that GVSU had was from close range, as the Lakers outscored the Dragons 60-32 in the paint.  

Shane Waldon would put the first four points on the board for the Dragons with a pair of jumpers, but Grand Valley raced out to an early 9-4 lead. Joshua Williams responded with a 5-0 run of his own on a jumper and a triple to tie things up at nine at the 17:25 mark.

The Lakers began to chip away little by little, however, eventually grabbing a 29-19 advantage at the midway point of the opening half. The margin remained around a dozen for much of the rest of the first-half, until a Thomas Hickman layup cut the deficit to one with 24 seconds remaining in the period. However, GVSU would knock down a three as time expired to take an eight-point lead, 48-40, into the break.

Tiffin came out firing in the second-half, cutting the deficit to just four on a Waldon jumper at the 18:14 mark. However, the Lakers followed with a 25-7 run over the next eight minutes to go up by 22 with 10:44 to play.

The Dragons managed to get back to within 12 on a Terrell Mabins triple at the 4:29 mark, but that was as close as the visitors would come as Grand Valley cruised to a 97-81 victory.

Waldon led TU with 18 points and six rebounds, while four other Dragons scored in double figures including Mabins and Williams with 14 apiece. Austin Adams also contributed eight rebounds and five assists for the Dragons.

The next time Tiffin plays, it will be the home opener in the Gillmor Center as the Dragons host their Thanksgiving Tournament next Friday and Saturday. On Friday evening at 5:15, Tiffin will host Carlow, followed by either Purdue Northwest or Urbana on Saturday.