Ferris State Runs Win Streak To Three-Straight By Beating Malone In Ohio

Big Rapids, Mich. - The nationally 23rd-ranked Ferris State University men's basketball squad picked up its third-straight win to open the New Year as the Bulldogs notched their 11th victory of the season by beating Malone 85-72 on Thursday (Jan. 7) night in Canton, Ohio.

Ferris State, which improved to 11-2 overall this campaign, built a 15-point advantage en route to the triumph over the host Pioneers at Osborne Hall in the opening tilt of a two-game Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road swing.

FSU jumped out to a 47-34 halftime edge and overcame a second-half surge from Malone, which battled back to within five points midway thru the second frame. However, the Bulldogs made several key plays down the stretch to pull away for the triumph while improving to 3-1 all-time versus Malone.

The win was FSU's first-ever in Canton as the Bulldogs made only their second visit to the Hall of Fame City. With the win, combined with losses from both Saginaw Valley State and Lake Superior State on the road in GLIAC play, FSU also moved to within a game of the top of the North Division standings.

Six Bulldog players reached double-digit scoring in a balanced effort with senior forward Josh Fleming leading the way with a game-high tying 17 points. Senior center Jared Stolicker added 15 points and 10 rebounds in a double-double performance while sophomore guard Drew Cushingberry tallied 13 points and both sophomore guard Noah King and redshirt freshman center Zach Hankins totaled 11 points each.

Meanwhile, senior forward James Chappell scored 10 points and junior guard Quentin Ruff narrowly missed double-figures with eight points in 17 minutes of action.

Ferris State hit seven three's in the first half on the way to building a 15-point advantage and finished shooting 46.5% overall from the floor. The Bulldogs were seven-of-22 (31.8%) overall from three-point land and made 12-of-16 (75%) free throws.

FSU also turned the ball over only seven times in the game and outscored Malone 17-10 in points off turnovers and 15-12 in second chance scoring despite being outrebounded 43-40 for the night. Ferris State had 13 offensive caroms, including five from Chappell.

Stephen O'Daniel III led Malone with 17 points while center Brian Stone made eight-of-12 shots from the floor to finish with 16 points. Jay Parker totaled 10 points for the Pioneers, who shot 46.4% overall and five-of-18 (27.8%) from downtown. They also went only three-of-10 (30%) from the line.

Five different FSU players tallied three assists or more with Cushingberry pacing the Bulldogs with the four helpers. FSU also came up with 11 blocked shots, including four by Stolicker, and seven steals compared to Malone's 19 assists, three steals and two blocks.

With the win, the Bulldogs also moved to 5-2 in the GLIAC. Malone fell to 3-9 overall and 0-7 in conference play.

Ferris State will wrap up its two-game trip to Ohio against Walsh on Saturday (Jan. 9). Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (ET) in North Canton, Ohio.