Ferris State Men's Basketball Races Past Longtime Rival Calvin In Decisive Exhibition Victory

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad took advantage of being on its home floor as the Bulldogs raced past longtime West Michigan rival Calvin College on Saturday (Nov. 8) by a 92-58 score in exhibition play at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldog win came against a Knights' squad that was picked to win the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic Association (MIAA) and is ranked 15th in the Division III Newsletter Preseason National Poll. It was one of FSU's most decisive wins over the two longstanding counterparts in recent memory.

Ferris State jumped out to a big 56-19 halftime lead by as many as 40-plus points in rolling to the victory in its final exhibition game of the year. The Bulldogs shot a blistering 59.5% from the floor in the first half while limiting Calvin to only 20% shooting in the initial frame.

After the impressive first half of play, FSU then cruised to the win in the second half while playing a total of 15 different players in the contest.

Junior forward James Chappell paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 18 points on eight-of-nine shooting in the game. He was joined in double-digits by junior center Jared Stolicker with 16 points and senior guard Drew Lehman, who finished with 10 points.

The Bulldogs also received eight points apiece from senior guard Dietrich Lever along with eight points by senior wing Matt Poches. Junior forward Josh Fleming added seven points with freshman center Zach Hankins scoring six in the winning effort.

Ferris State finished shooting 53.9% for the day on 37-of-70 shooting while hitting six-of-22 (27.3%) three-pointers and 12-of-21 (57.1%) free throws. In comparison, Calvin shot 30% overall and was five-of-22 (22.7%) from downtown in addition to 17-of-19 (89.5%) at the line.

FSU owned a slim 41-39 rebounding differential and grabbed 11 offensive boards compared to 14 for the Knights. The Bulldogs, though, forced 23 turnovers and outscored Calvin 28-14 in points off those miscues while earning the triumph.

Ferris State had only 12 turnovers of its own and dished out 15 assists as Lever led the way with four on the afternoon. FSU also tallied 17 steals, including a game-high four from junior guard Jibreel Jackson.

Connor Vanderbrug led Calvin with 15 points and Austin Parks chipped in 11 in the losing cause.

Saturday marked the fourth-straight year in which FSU and Calvin had squared off in a game that counted as an exhibition for both schools. Overall, the two teams have also met 83 times in regular-season action in the longstanding series.

Ferris State will officially begin the 2014-15 season on the road next week as FSU opens the 2014-15 campaign on Saturday, Nov. 15, against regional foe Quincy (Ill.) at the Microtel GLVC/GLIAC Challenge to be held at Pepsi Arena in Quincy, Ill. FSU will face another Great Lakes Valley Conference (GLVC) opponent in Missouri-St. Louis the following day (Nov. 16).