Ferris State Suffers Close Overtime Setback To Findlay In Another Classic Series Matchup

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University and the Findlay Oilers squared off in another classic matchup between the two Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) rivals on Sunday (Dec. 4) at FSU's Jim Wink Arena with Findlay pulling out an 81-77 overtime victory.

The Bulldogs led by seven points in the game with eight minutes to play, before the Oilers rallied and the game finished deadlocked. UF then outscored the Bulldogs 13-9 in overtime to pull out the road win.

The setback spoiled an outstanding day for FSU senior guard Quentin Ruff, who knocked down seven-of-nine three's and finished with a game-high 28 points. He also added nine rebounds and three assists.

While Ruff had the hot hand on the Bulldog side, Findlay also received a big performance from forward Taren Sullivan, who compiled 27 points and pulled down seven rebounds with three assists and two steals. 

Along with Ruff, Ferris State received 14 points from junior guard Drew Cushingberry along with 14 points and 14 rebounds from sophomore center Zach Hankins. 

The Bulldogs owned a 43-36 rebounding edge and hauled in 13 offensive boards to post an 18-10 edge in second chance production, but they also turned the ball over 17 times and were outscored 22-7 in points off turnovers as Findlay had only eight for the game.

Overall, FSU shot 43.5% from the floor and made 10-of-26 (38.5%) three's along with 13-of-18 (72.2%) free throws. UF shot 44.9% overall and hit on eight-of-17 (47.1%) long distance tries to go with 11-of-16 (68.8%) at the stripe.

Besides Sullivan, the Oilers received 12 points from Martyce Kimbrough along with 11 by Alex White. 

Ferris State compiled 18 assists with both Hankins and Cushingberry posting four each and the Bulldogs came up with eight blocked shots, including five from Hankins. Markese Mayfield had FSU's lone steal.

The Oilers finished with 22 assists, including a game-high six from Austin Gardner, and netted seven steals in addition to six blocks. Tyler Stern-Tucker had three of UF's blocks while Gardner produced four steals.

Overall, the game featured 19 lead changes and was tied 17 times overall with neither team leading by more than seven points in the contest. It was tied for more than 12 minutes on the day.

The Bulldogs dropped to 5-2 overall and 1-1 in the GLIAC with the loss while Findlay improved to 4-2 overall and 1-1 as well in conference play.

Ferris State will hit the road for two GLIAC games this week as the Bulldogs visit Walsh on Thursday (Dec. 8) night for an 8 p.m. (ET) league matchup in Canton, Ohio, before traveling to Hillsdale on Saturday (Dec. 10) for a 3 p.m. (ET) GLIAC encounter.