Ferris State Pulls Out Narrow Victory In Thrilling West Michigan Rivalry Game Over GVSU

Grazulis Brothers - National Anthem 
Postgame Interview - Coach Bronkema 
Dorian Aluyi Postgame Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad used the home-court advantage to earn a season sweep over rival Grand Valley State on Saturday (Feb. 5) as the nationally-ranked Bulldogs pulled out an 83-80 triumph in a heart-stopper inside Jim Wink Arena.

Before a crowd of 2,000 plus fans, the Bulldogs got Wink Arena rocking in the second half, battling back from an eight-point deficit with 17 minutes remaining to earn the win while moving to a perfect 13-0 in GLIAC play.

Brothers Vejas Grazulis of FSU and Marius Grazulis of GVSU put the fans on their feet early, singing the national anthem together before the start of the annual West Michigan rivalry matchup. The fans pumped up the energy later in the second half when a big defensive stand by FSU's Grazulis against his younger brother forced a turnover and sparked a roaring Bulldog comeback.

From there, the Bulldogs stormed back and took the advantage before eventually building a 13-point lead with 4:19 to play. When it looked like the game was over, though, the visiting Lakers mounted a comeback and eventually trimmed the margin down to a single possession in the closing minute.

However, the Bulldogs hit critical free throws down the stretch with graduate senior Lee Higgins finishing six-of-six from the line and withstood a potential game-tying three-pointer from GVSU standout Jake Van Tubbergren from long range at the buzzer to hold on for the victory.

The two teams battled to a 37-37 deadlock in the opening half before FSU outscored Grand Valley State 46-43 in the final 20 minutes to earn its second win over the Lakers this campaign. Overall, the game featured seven lead changes and the score was tied eight times.

Senior Dorian Aluyi helped charge the Bulldogs in the second half and finished with a team-high tying 15 points and a squad-best nine rebounds. FSU also got 15 points and seven boards in a valiant effort from senior big man Logan Ryan, who fought thru an injury in the game.

Along with those two, Higgins tallied 12 points and the Bulldogs also got 12 points from sophomore Ben Davidson, who hit a big second-half three and went seven-of-nine at the free throw stripe.

The Lakers, who played without head coach Ric Wesley and longtime assistant J.R. Wallace due to illness, battled FSU close thanks to the efforts of its five starters who all reached double-figure scoring.

GVSU was led by Deleon Brown with 19 points while Christian Negron added 16 points and 11 boards in a double-double effort, including coming up with an early second-half start which pushed the Lakers in front by eight. Van Tubbergren netted 14 points and eight boards despite battling foul trouble while Isaac Gassman contributed 12 points and Jordan Harris finished with 10 points overall.

Ferris State earned a 38-35 rebounding margin and tracked down 12 offensive boards in the contest, which led to a 18-9 margin in second chance production. FSU also had only six turnovers in the game and got 24 points from its bench to nine for the Lakers.

Overall, Ferris State shot 43.5% from the field and made five-of-19 (26.3%) three's along with 24-of-29 (82.8%) free throws. GVSU finished shooting 46.7% from the floor and made 10-of-22 (45.5%) long range tries in addition to 14-of-19 (73.7%) free throws.

Ferris State, now 18-3 overall and ranked ninth nationally in the D2SIDA National Media Poll along with 15th in the NABC Coaches Poll, takes on Davenport on Monday (Feb. 7) night in a rescheduled 7 p.m. (ET) contest in Caledonia. It will be the second matchup between the two squads in a five-day span following FSU's 17-point home win this past Thursday (Feb. 3) evening.