Ferris State Comes Up Just Short In League Road Action Despite Lehman's 37-Point Performance

Hillsdale, Mich. - Despite a career-high performance from standout senior guard Drew Lehman, the Ferris State University men's basketball squad came up just short on the road in a 74-73 setback to Hillsdale on Thursday (Feb. 19) evening in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play.

Lehman tallied a game and personal career-high 37 points on 14-of-24 shooting and drilled six three's to spark the Bulldogs in the league tilt, but a potential game-winning jumper as time expired fell short as the Chargers prevailed at home.

Behind Lehman's performance, the Bulldogs shot 51% from the floor and converted eight-of-24 (33.3%) three's. FSU took a 37-35 halftime lead and had the lead down the stretch, but Hillsdale responded.

Hillsdale forward Kyle Cooper had a big game of his own with 31 points and 17 rebounds in a double-double performance and helped setup the winning bucket for the Chargers with only 30 seconds to play. FSU played for the final shot and went to Lehman, who's potential game-winner hit the rim and dropped short as Cooper secured the rebound and the horn sounded.

Cooper hit on 12-of-19 field goals while helping the Chargers convert 57% of their attempts, including a 50% showing behind the three-point stripe on eight-of-16 shooting. HC also made six-of-seven (85.7%) free throws to FSU's five-of-eight (62.5%) performance.

Besides Lehman's monster game, the Bulldogs also received 16 points and a squad-best nine rebounds from junior forward Jared Stolicker. Junior forward Josh Fleming chipped in with 10 points and added four assists and two steals in the Bulldog effort.

While Cooper did most of the scoring for Hillsdale, the Chargers did receive 10 points each from both Stedman Lowry and Rhett Smith as they kept their GLIAC Tournament hopes alive by improving to 12-12 overall and 10-10 in conference play.

Ferris State dropped to 18-8 overall and 14-6 in league play despite turning the ball over only eight times in the outing. FSU forced 13 Hillsdale miscues and came up with seven steals and three blocked shots overall.

The Chargers, though, owned a 31-23 edge on the glass with both teams managing six offensive caroms. Hillsdale compiled five steals and three blocks, but also had 20 assists, including a game-high 15 from point guard Zach Miller.

Ferris State will return home to Jim Wink Arena to play its final two games of the regular-season. FSU first hosts Saginaw Valley State on Saturday (Feb. 21) with the league tipoff set for 3 p.m. (ET) in Big Rapids.

Saturday's contest will mark "Upward Day" with all participants in the area's youth basketball program receiving free admission with their Upward ID cards.

Following Saturday's game, FSU then hosts archrival Grand Valley State in the  final regular-season contest on Thursday (Feb. 26) at 8 p.m. (ET) in Wink Arena. The game will mark Ferris State's annual "Senior Night" game and also serve as both Student-Athlete Night and the Faculty Appreciation contest.

The Bulldogs have also secured a berth in the GLIAC Tournament and need only a single victory to earn a first-round quarterfinal home contest.