Ferris State Men's Basketball Knocks Off NCAA Division I Bowling Green State

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Bowling Green, Ohio - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad pulled off a thrilling victory on Sunday (Dec. 21) as FSU upset NCAA Division I Bowling Green State 82-68 in action at the Stroh Center in Bowling Green, Ohio.

The Bulldogs recorded the exciting victory with a big second half as they handed the Falcons only their third loss of the campaign. The game was played as an exhibition outing for FSU, but counted as a regular-season matchup for BGSU.

"It was a great win for our team and a great way to head into the holiday break," said FSU head coach Andy Bronkema. "Our kids came out and competed hard and played well. We're excited to get the win and happy to head into the break with some great momentum."

Ferris State, which had won eight-straight games coming into the contest and owned an 8-2 mark, gave the Falcons everything they could handle in the first half as FSU jumped out to a one-point halftime lead. Any thoughts of Bowling Green taking control in the second half were then quickly erased as FSU surged out to a double-digit lead early in the second frame and never trailed the rest of the way.

The Bulldogs shot a blistering 58.3% in the second half and led by as many as 20 points with 1:47 to go in topping a Division I school for the first time since a regular-season win at Oakland back in 2000. FSU has had several close calls versus the larger division since then, including a memorable and controversial overtime setback at Indiana in 2010, but had not been able to pull out the victory until Sunday's contest.

It marked a happy homecoming for senior guard Drew Lehman, who delighted a large number of friends and family on hand by scoring a game-high 29 points on 10-of-17 shooting. The Toledo native led the way for FSU in the game and hit all six of his free throws as Ferris State finished 19-of-22 (86.4%) at the line.

The Bulldogs also received 23 points and 13 rebounds from junior forward Josh Fleming in a double-double effort. He knocked down four three-pointers and helped spark the Bulldog charge early in the second half after a strong first half showing.

While those two were the lone players in double-figures for Ferris State, the Bulldogs did receive important contributions up and down the lineup against the long and lengthy Bowling Green frontcourt. Junior guard Jibreel Jackson added nine points, junior center Jared Stolicker had eight points and senior guard Dietrich Lever chipped in seven points for FSU.

The Bulldogs also owned a 40-32 rebounding advantage fueled by Fleming's game-high 13 boards. Junior forward James Chappell added seven rebounds for Ferris State, which tallied nine offensive boards.

The Falcons kept the score within striking distance much of the way thanks to the production of standout forward Richaun Holmes, who netted 26 points and nine boards. Jehvon Clarke added 13 points and Zack Denny scored 10 points.

FSU finished shooting 49.1% for the game and hit nine-of-18 (50%) three's in addition to the impressive finish at the free throw stripe. BGSU finished at 41.9% overall, but made only two-of-eight three's (25%) and was 14-of-23 (60.9%) at the line.

Bowling Green held a 42-24 edge inside the paint and outscored FSU 12-7 in second chance production, but the Bulldogs held a slim 15-13 advantage in points off turnovers. Overall, Ferris State had 13 turnovers to 10 for BGSU.

The Bulldogs also netted 16 assists, including four from Lever, and tallied eight blocked shots with Stolicker totaling five. FSU had two steals. Meanwhile, Bowling Green State recorded 15 assists, seven steals and a single block.

The game, which was the first meeting between the two schools on the hardwood since 1982-83, featured four lead changes and was tied three times. FSU never trailed in the second half.

The Bulldogs, who also own a first-place 4-0 mark in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play this season, will break for the holidays before returning to league action on Friday, Jan. 2, at Findlay. The contest tips off as the second game of a league doubleheader at 7:30 p.m. (ET).