Late Jumper Lifts Ferris Men Over Wayne State

Live Radio Audio Clip of Game-Winning Basket:
(MP3 File) - (Windows Media File)

Detroit, Mich. - A short jumper from junior guard Darien Gay with less than 15 seconds to play combined with a defensive stop on the game's final possession led the Ferris State men's basketball to a thrilling 54-52 triumph over Wayne State on Thursday (Jan. 21) evening in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play before a near capacity crowd at the Matthaei Complex in Detroit.

The victory was FSU's first at the Matthaei Complex since the 1994-95 season and snapped a seven-game series' losing streak in the Motor City.

The Warriors opened with a 23-11 lead at the 9:23 point of the opening half en route to a 30-23 halftime advantage.  Both teams shot only 28% from the field in the first period.

FSU trimmed the advantage to six at 47-41 with 10:15 left in the contest and made it a one-point game with 7:09 left.  Ferris finally tied the game up on a free throw from junior forward Justin Keenan with 2:17 remaining and the score remained tied until Gay's game-winner from just inside the right elbow.

The Warriors had the final possession following a timeout, but Larry Edwards' off-balance long jumper from the corner was well short as time expired.  WSU had led throughout the game until Gay's game-winning basket.

However, the Bulldogs held Wayne State scoreless over the final 5:53 of the game. 

Keenan led the Bulldogs with 19 points and 12 rebounds in a double-double effort despite being double teamed most of the night. He was joined in double-digits by senior guard Josh Young with 14 points.

Bryan Wright paced WSU with 18 points while Ike Udanoh added 10 points for the Warriors.  However, Ferris limited Wayne State's Jerry Oden, a preseason all-conference selection and the reigning GLIAC South Division Player of the Week, to only eight points in the contest on four-of-14 shooting.

FSU finished shooting 37.3% for the game as a team and held the Warriors to only 29.4% for the night.  Ferris was three-of-16 (18.8%) beyond the arc and 13-of-19 (68.4%) at the free throw stripe compared to WSU's five-of-19 (26.3%) effort from long range and seven-of-10 (70%) showing at the charity line.

Wayne State held its largest lead at 13 points with 4:40 remaining in the opening half before the Bulldogs held the Warriors scoreless the rest of the period in cutting it down to seven points at the break.

Ferris improved to 9-7 overall and 7-4 in GLIAC play by winning its third-straight game on the road.  WSU fell to 8-7 overall and 6-5 in conference action.

The Bulldogs wrap up their five-game conference road swing by facing Northwood on Saturday, Jan. 23, in a 6 p.m. (EST) league contest at the Bennett Sports Center in Midland, Mich.

Visit The Links Below For The Live Radio Broadcast Audio Clip Of Darien Gay's Basket:
Game-Winning Basket - (MP3 File) - (Windows Media File)