FSU Men Take Over Second Place In Division
Postgame Audio File: Bill Sall & Jon
Yeazel
(MP3 Version)
- (Windows Media
Version)
Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball
team moved into solo possession of second place in the Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division
standings by beating Michigan Tech 67-63 on Saturday (Jan. 30) in
league play at Jim Wink Arena.
The Bulldog victory, which was the squad's sixth-straight this
season, combined with losses by Lake Superior State, Saginaw Valley
State and Grand Valley State enabled FSU to move within a game of
divisional leader GVSU with eight regular-season contests remaining
on the schedule.
FSU improved to 12-7 overall and 10-4 in GLIAC play, but it didn't
come easily as a pesky Michigan Tech team remained in striking
distance most of the way.
The Huskies cut an 11-point FSU advantage with 14:57 remaining all
the way down to two points (65-63) with 54 seconds left in the
game. FSU ran the shot clock down and after a missed three-pointer
by junior guard Matt DeHart with 22 seconds to
play, the Bulldogs were able to pull out the win as junior
forward/center Justin Keenan grabbed a key
offensive rebound and sank two free throws to account for the final
margin.
"That's a well-coached team that came to play today," said FSU head
coach Bill Sall, of Michigan Tech. "Anytime
we play Tech it is always a war and that second half was really a
battle that's for sure."
The Bulldogs took a 41-35 halftime edge following Michigan Tech's
early seven-point lead only four minutes into the contest. In the
second half, though, the Bulldogs were limited to only 30.8% (8-26)
shooting and an already limited FSU rotation saw Keenan saddled
with foul trouble as he drew his fourth personal foul with nearly
10 minutes left in the game.
Keenan played a total of 31 minutes and finished with a game-high
26 points and seven rebounds. He was eight-of-14 from the floor and
made 10-of-12 free throws while also coming up with three
steals.
The preseason All-American was joined in double-figure scoring by
sophomore guard Dontae Molden and the senior
backcourt combination of Austin Randel and
Jon Yeazel. Yeazel finished with 12 points, Randel
had 11 points and Molden chipped in with 10 points.
FSU played without the services of senior guard Josh
Young, who missed the game due to personal reasons.
Freshman forward Daniel Sutherlin also missed his
second-straight game due to illness as FSU utilized a seven-player
rotation for much of the contest. Sophomore center Jim
Boylan saw four minutes of action off the bench as the
eighth player due to Keenan's foul trouble.
"We had some major obstacles in the second half and there weren't
many guys to turn to, but we had some guys pick it up," Sall
said.
The Huskies kept the game close behind the play of Ali Haidar on
the inside along with both Don Fowler and Matt Gaedke on the
perimeter. Haidar led the Huskies with 16 points while Fowler
contributed 13 points and Gaedke netted 10 points.
MTU shot 48.8% (21-43) from the floor overall following a 50%
(10-20) effort in the final half. The Huskies were six-of-15 (40%)
beyond the arc and 15-of-21 (71.4%) at the free throw line.
Meanwhile, FSU made 21-of-52 (40.4%) field goal tries and was
five-of-19 (26.3%) behind the three-point arc along with 20-of-24
(83.3%) at the stripe.
Ferris was outrebounded 31-29 by the Huskies, but came away with 11
offensive boards compared to only seven for MTU. The Bulldogs also
forced 17 Michigan Tech turnovers and had only nine of their own in
holding a 16-9 edge in points off miscues.
FSU totaled 15 assists, 10 steals and a single blocked shot with
the Huskies managing 12 assists, four thefts and two swats.
Michigan Tech dropped to 4-15 overall and 3-11 in league play with
the setback.
Ferris State continues its four-game league homestand by next
hosting Hillsdale on Thursday, Feb. 4, in an 8 p.m. (EST) GLIAC
tilt at Jim Wink Arena. The contest will represent FSU's annual
Pink Wave Night in support of breast cancer awareness.
Bulldog Bites: The game featured nine
lead changes ..... FSU received only two points off its bench as
the Huskies held preseason All-GLIAC guard Darien
Gay scoreless for the game ..... The victory was Ferris'
eighth in the last 12 series' meetings ...... The two teams will
square off against each other again in two weeks (Feb. 11) as the
Bulldogs venture to the Upper Peninsula .... Saturday's contest was
filled with youth activities as part of Kids Day and a crowd
announced at 838 fans showed up for the contest.