GVSU women’s basketball raises NCAA banner in home opener; Bisballe reaches milestone

November 11, 2026

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Best Photos from GVSU women’s basketball game against Spring Arbor

The GVSU women’s basketball team takes on Spring Arbor as they reveal the 2025-2026 National Championship banner from last year.

(Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel)

The GVSU women’s basketball team takes on Spring Arbor as they reveal the 2025-2026 National Championship banner from last year.

(Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel)

The GVSU women’s basketball team battles Spring Arbor on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

(Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel)

Recently renovations at the Raleigh J. Finkelstein Athletic Village add new blue seats and suites to the basketball stadium seen on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

(Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel)

GVSU’s Anayya Davis passes the ball to a teammate against Spring Arbor on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

(Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel)

GVSU’s Anayya Davis takes the ball up the court against Spring Arbor on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

(Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel)

GVSU’s MacKenie Bisballe goes up for the layup attempt against Spring Arbor on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

(Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel)

GVSU’s Avery Lay attacks the basket against Spring Arbor on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

(Adam Vander Kooy/Holland Sentinel)

ALLENDALE – Past, present and future collided at the Grand Valley Fieldhouse for a historical season opener.

The NCAA Division II two-time defending champions revealed another banner (the past) at the newly facelifted Fieldhouse (the present).

The top-ranked Lakers then started five non-seniors – four new starters (the future) and beat Spring Arbor 74-63 on Tuesday, Nov. 10 – and added a milestone to the historical night.

GVSU improved to 4-0 for the seventh consecutive season, winning its home opener for the 17th year in a row.

More: Defending NCAA champion GVSU women’s basketball sweeps opening tournament to start 3-0

More: How GVSU men’s basketball survived a last-minute Timberwolves attack to win thriller

MacKenzie Bisballe, an All-American, returns as a starter, joined by new starters Ava Scanlon, Anayya Davis, Avery Lay and Reese Gaytan.

“It means a lot (to start). I love playing with these girls. It is obviously a little different from last year,” Gayton said. “But the coaches give us a lot of confidence.”

The banner

GVSU has three NCAA title banners up at the fieldhouse: 2005-06, 2024-25, 2025-26, the latest being unveiled Tuesday night.

“A lot of these players were part of that and got to experience. It is a testament to the players and the work they have done,” GVSU coach Mike Williams said. “It was pretty cool to see that.”

It is a form of pride and motivation for the Lakers.

“It is good memories. It is fun to look back on that, but it is also exciting to see what this team can do,” Scanlon said.

Some of the graduated players returned to celebrate.

“I learned so much from the players before. You think you are good in high school until you come here. It is a whole different ballgame. (The banner) shows us our goals and where we want to be,” Gaytan said.

The new fieldhouse

Grand Valley Fieldhouse got a huge facelift in the offseason.

The wooden bleachers were all taken out and now there is a sea of blue seats. No more bleachers.

The blue seats match the blue paint in the lane.

Inside the 3-point lines is a darker wood than the rest of the floor and there are state-of-the-art video scoreboards on each side of the court.

It is the perfect balance new and familiar.

“The arena is really nice. It is something I have been pushing for, for a long time. They did a great job and it has some pop when you walk in,” Williams said. “It is a great atmosphere.”

The GVSU women's basketball team battles Spring Arbor on Tuesday, Nov. 10. — The GVSU women’s basketball team battles Spring Arbor on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The game

The Lakers used their size in the paint to build a 19-8 win after one quarter and 42-22 at halftime.

GVSU made just one 3-pointer in the first half and had minimal jump-shots. Everything was a drive to the basket and a 15-0 run in the second quarter gave the Lakers a big lead early.

Avery Lay took control of the game early and had 11 points and five rebounds at halftime. Bisballe had four blocked shots and two steals to pace the defense to go along with eight points.

“Avery is a very versatile player. She can play the post and play guard. She did a good job on the glass, getting pretty rugged down there,” Williams said. “These players are still young. It is going to be a challenge to keep getting better.”

GVSU's Avery Lay makes the one handed catch against Spring Arbor on Tuesday, Nov. 10. — GVSU’s Avery Lay makes the one handed catch against Spring Arbor on Tuesday, Nov. 10.

The wave off the bench was led by Destiny Webster who had seven points during the second-quarter run.

Lay finished with 20 points, while Bisballe, Ava Scanlon, Reese Gaytan and Kaia Waldrop each added eight.

“The hustle and energy of my teammates gave us a lot of momentum and I was able to carry that on,” Lay said.

The milestone

Junior forward MacKenzie Bisballe reached 1,000 career points. Just four games into her junior year, she has nearly two full seasons to add to that total.

She passed the milestone on a fastbreak where she made a nice crossover move and scored with a left-handed layup.

“I am just grateful for everyone who helped me get here,” she said.

The GVSU record is 2,156 points by Mary Randall from 1997-2000. MacKenzie’s sister Rylie Bisballe is fifth on the all-time list at 1,678.

MacKenzie Bisballe is the 32nd player to reach 1,000 points. Ten players have reached 1,400.

“She is obviously a major contributor the past couple years. She has spent a lot of time working on her shot. Now she has expanded her game to include the perimeter, which is going to help her a lot,” Williams said.

Contact sports editor Dan D’Addona at Dan.D’Addona@hollandsentinel.com. Follow him on X, formerly known as Twitter @DanDAddona or Facebook @HollandSentinelSports.

This article originally appeared on The Holland Sentinel: GVSU women’s basketball raises NCAA banner in home opener; Bisballe reaches milestone

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Best Photos from GVSU women’s basketball game against Spring Arbor