ALLENDALE - Lake Superior State executed its game plan to near perfection to beat Grand Valley State 61-51 during Tuesday's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Women's Basketball Tournament quarterfinal game.

LSSU (15-12), the No. 6 seed in the 2010 tournament, went into the game with a 1-1 regular-season record against No. 3 seed GVSU (18-10), but hadn't forgotten its 24-point loss in Allendale in January. During Tuesday's return visit to Grand Valley State, Lake Superior State kept relentless pressure on the young GVSU offense and held the Lakers to 32.7 percent from the field -- their second-lowest shooting percentage of the season. LSSU also made the most of GVSU's 16 turnovers.

Lake Superior State closed out the first half with a 6-1 run to lead 27-22. The Lakers set the tone during the first 90 seconds of the second half when Cassy Schemberger hit a jumper and Nicole Marshall canned a three-pointer following back-to-back GVSU turnovers. A minute later, a Schemberger steal led to an Emily Joseph lay-up for a 36-24 LSSU lead with 17:26 remaining.

Grand Valley State cut it to eight, but never really threatened in the second half. LSSU's biggest lead was 16 points, 58-42, with 3:31 to go.

Joseph scored 15 points, while Maria Blazejewski totaled 14 points and six rebounds to lead Lake Superior State. Marshall finished with 13 points and nine rebounds. Ronlea Peterson totaled six assists. Joseph, Peterson and Marshall had three steals each.

LSSU shot 42.9 percent from the field, including 4-of-15 from behind the arc. The Lakers made 15-of-20 free throws.

Kelly Kretz led GVSU with nine points, while Elizabeth Van Tiflin totaled eight points and eight rebounds. GVSU was 7-of-13 from three-point range and 8-of-14 at the free-throw line. Grand Valley out-rebounded LSSU, 38-33.

Lake Superior State advances to the GLIAC semifinals, which will be held Friday at top-seeded Michigan Tech. In other quarterfinal games Tuesday, it was #4 Findlay 66, #5 Hillsdale 62; #1 Michigan Tech 78, #8 Northwood 58; and #2 Northern Michigan 71, #7 Ashland 50.

LSSU vs. GVSU