Men's Basketball Stays Atop GLIAC North While Winning 20th Game For Fifth-Straight Year

Hammond, Ind. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad held onto first place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division standings and notched its fifth consecutive 20-plus win campaign as the Bulldogs topped Purdue Northwest 83-69 in league play on Thursday (Feb. 21) evening in league play at the Fitness and Recreation Center in Hammond, Ind.

The Bulldogs improved to 20-9 overall with their fourth consecutive triumph and beat the Pride for the second time this campaign after outscoring the hosts 41-29 over the final 20 minutes of play.

With the win, the Bulldogs notched their fifth-straight 20-victory season, which represents the longest stretch in school history.

Ferris State jumped in front early and led by as many as 14 points in the first half before the Pride cut the margin down to 42-40 at the break.

In the second half, though, FSU seized control early and didn't look back in earning the win to improve to 4-0 all-time against Purdue Northwest.

Ferris State got a game-high 20 points and 10 rebounds with five assists from sophomore forward Jaylin McFadden in a double-double effort to go with 13 points from senior guard DeShaun Thrower. Senior forward Markese Mayfield added 10 points and eight boards in the victory.

FSu posted a decisive 46-32 rebounding marign and pulled down 20 offensive boards, leading to a 22-8 margin in second chance scoring. Mayfield had seven offensive caroms and freshman forward Mason Pline added four in the win.

The Bulldogs shot 43% overall and alos went 17-of-20 (86%) at the line while forcing 25 Purdue Northwest turnovers. The Bulldogs had nine steals and two blocks to go with 15 assists overall. FSU also outscored the Pride 43-24 inside the paint and never trailed in the win.

Purdue Northwest was led by Dean Tate's team-high 19 points. Timothy Gilmore added 11 points in the setback.

With the win, the Bulldogs held onto a one-game lead over Wisconsin-Parkside in the GLIAC North Division with two games left in the regular-season. FSU will vist UWP on Saturday (Feb. 23) for a league first-place showdown with tipoff set for 4 p.m. (ET) in Kenosha, Wis.