ST. JOSEPH, Mo. – Griffon women's basketball (0-1) took an 83-61 loss against No. 1 ranked and defending NCAA Division II national champion Grand Valley State on Friday afternoon at the D2CCA Tip-off Classic from St. Joseph Civic Arena.

MoWest got off to an impressive start, leading 18-9 with 3:03 left in the first quarter and leading 21-20 at the end of the first.

The Lakers, however, used an 18-0 run in the second quarter and scored 23 total points in that frame to lead 43-29 at halftime.

The lead only expanded for GVSU, as the Lakers added 40 points to their total in the second. Grand Valley State did it behind a tenacious press defense, turning MWSU over 33 times and scoring 42 points off of those takeaways.

Still, the Griffons continued to battle. Freshman LaNicia Parker came off the bench for a team-best 14 points, scoring 11 of that in the second half. Nakiya Harris also came on strong late for MoWest, scoring nine of her 13 points in the second half.

Ana Oliveira Dias had 11 points – nine of it in the first half. MoWest shot a respectable 21-of-49 (42.9%) from the field and 6-of-19 (31.6%) from three. The Griffs were also strong at the free throw line, making 13-of-17 (76.5%).

Paige Vanstee had a game-high 26 points for Grand Valley State. The Lakers shot 10-of-32 (31.3%) from deep and 19-of-23 (82.6%) from the foul line.

MoWest is back in action at the D2CCA Tip-off Classic on Sunday, facing No. 13 Lubbock Christian. Tip-off in that game is set for 2 p.m. The game will be broadcast on the Griffon Sports Network (Varsity Network App, GoGriffons.com/listen) and on the MIAA Network.