(NORTH CANTON, Ohio) – It may have been cold outside, but Walsh had no trouble heating up Alumni Arena as it defeated Grand Valley State by a score of 79-66 Thursday evening. The Cavaliers improve to 8-4 overall and 5-2 in the GLIAC. The Lakers drop to 9-4 overall and are now 4-3 in the conference.

After a competitive first quarter that saw the Cavs trail by two after the opening frame, Walsh hit 11-of-14 shots in the second period to outscore Grand Valley 33-17 and take a 46-32 lead into halftime. Kelsey Funderburgh gave the Cavaliers the lead with a 3-pointer at the 7:47 mark of the period to make the score 23-22. It was a lead that Walsh would not relinquish the rest of the way.

Walsh led by as many as 17 after Jalynn Graham hit a trey to start off the second half. That made the score 49-32, but the Lakers eventually made a run to cut the score back to single digits. Grand Valley eventually cut the deficit to two points after a layup and free throw by Brionna Barnett early in the fourth quarter, but the Cavaliers closed the game on a 16-5 run to secure the win.

Four Cavaliers scored in double figures as Funderburgh led the way with 21 points. She was 8-of-13 from the field with five 3-pointers and added five rebounds, three steals, and two assists. Allison Butler sparked the offense with 16 points off the bench. She was 6-of-9 from the field with two treys and added three assists and two steals.

Jalynn Graham and Brittni Clopton both scored 10 points. Graham was two boards shy of a double-double and came up with two blocks while Clopton pulled down six caroms.

Overall Walsh blistered the nets with a 53.6 percent success rate, its second-best outing this season.

The Cavaliers will attempt to make it a perfect weekend as they host Ferris State on Saturday. Tip-off with the Bulldogs is set for 1 p.m.