Junior guard Tricia Principe led the Bulldogs in the win over Virginia Union
Junior guard Tricia Principe led the Bulldogs in the win over Virginia Union

Ferris Runs Past Virginia Union In Maryland

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball team showed no signs of rust after a one-week layoff as the Bulldogs stormed past Virginia Union 69-43 on Wednesday (Dec. 29) in the first game of the Lady Bulldogs Holiday Classic hosted by Bowie State in Bowie, Md.

Ferris bolted out to a decisive 38-13 halftime advantage after holding the Panthers scoreless for the final 6:49 of the opening stanza.  FSU then increased its edge to as many as 35 points at 54-19 with 13:49 left in the game and never looked back in snapping a two-game skid.

The Bulldogs limited Virginia Union to only 34.7% (17-49) shooting for the game, including a 24% (6-25) figure in the inital half.  VUU made only one-of-10 (10%) three-point tries and was eight-of-20 (40%) at the free throw line in the loss.

Defensively, the Bulldogs also forced 28 Virginia Union turnovers and posted a commanding 30-14 advantage in points off miscues as the Panthers fell to 0-6 overall this campaign.

Ferris State utilized 12 players in the game and all but one scored as the Bulldogs rolled to the victory to improve to 6-5 overall this season.

Junior guard Tricia Principe (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) keyed the victory with a game-high 19 points on seven-of-11 shooting and nailed five three-pointers for FSU.  Senior forward Tiara Adams (Lansing/Waverly) added 13 points and seven rebounds while playing only 23 minutes in the triumph.

Ferris State also received eight points by senior center Andrea Clancy to go with a team-high four assists from senior guard Becci Houdek (Canton), who returned to the lineup after an injury.  Junior guard Kelsey DeNoyelles (Mt. Pleasant/Sacred Heart) chipped in with seven points, three assists and three steals with junior forward Lindsey Pettit adding six points and four rebounds.

Ferris shot 50% (25-50) from the field and made seven-of-17 (41.2%) treys along with a 12-of-14 (85.7%) effort at the free throw stripe in the first-ever series' meeting between the two teams at A.C. Jordan Arena.  The Bulldogs connected on five three-pointers in the first half.

The Panthers had only a single player in double-figures with Tiffany Clarke scoring a team-high 10 points in the loss.  Alaura Jones netted nine points and Leslie Slayton totaled eight points.

FSU held a slim 33-32 rebounding edge, but gave up 16 offensive boards to the Panthers, who outscored the Bulldogs nine to eight in second chance scoring.

The Bulldogs turned the ball over 24 times, however, FSU also came up with 13 steals defensively compared to only six for Virginia Union.  FSU netted 18 assists and two blocked shots with VUU managing only four assists and no blocks in the game.

Ferris State wraps up action in the Lady Bulldogs Holiday Classic by taking on host Bowie State on Thursday (Dec. 30) evening at 6 p.m. (ET).

Bulldog Bites: The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest and the score was never tied between the two teams ....... FSU's reserves outscored the Virginia Union bench by a 21-9 margin ...... Ferris netted 28 points scored inside the paint compared to 26 for VUU ...... Tiara Adams had a game-high four steals for the Bulldogs with freshman guard Sarah DeShone (Elkhart, Ind./Jimtown) also contributing three along with Kelsey DeNoyelles ..... DeShone and sophomore guard Kylie Muntz (Dayton, Ohio/Wayne) both tallied three assists as well for FSU ..... Bowie State was slated to host Gannon in Wednesday's nightcap of the event.