Ferris State senior Tiara Adams battles for the ball in the game versus Wayne State (Photo by Ben Amato)
Ferris State senior Tiara Adams battles for the ball in the game versus Wayne State (Photo by Ben Amato)

Bulldog Women Drop League Home Tilt

Replay Bulldog Sports Network Audio Broadcast

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball team suffered a disappointing 83-74 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home setback to Wayne State on Thursday (Feb. 17) night at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs had entered the game tied for the eighth and final spot in the GLIAC Tournament race with WSU only a half-game behind in league play.  The top three teams from each division along with the next two best records qualify for the conference tournament.

With two games left in league regular-season action, FSU is currently 11-12 overall and 7-10 in the league and now trails WSU and Tiffin by a half-game in the race for the final spot as both teams are 7-9 in the conference to date.

Ferris State played the Warriors dead even in the first half as the score was tied at 33 at halftime.  However, WSU outscored FSU 50-41 over the final 20 minutes to notch the win and improve to 8-15 overall.

FSU led by one point with 15:14 to play before the Warriors went on a 10-0 run to grab a nine-point lead.  The Bulldogs eventually cut the margin back to three points at 68-65 with 3:41 to go, but WSU answered with eight-straight points to push the advantage to 11 points and FSU could not close the gap down the stretch.

Wayne State, which played only eight players in the contest, received 25 points from Phaebre Colbert and 24 by Paige Sickmiller in notching the win.  Deanna Crumpton also chipped in with 17 points for WSU.

On the other side, the Bulldogs also had three players reach double-figure scoring.  Senior guard Becci Houdek (Canton) notched 15 points while junior guard Tricia Principe (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) added 13 points and senior forward Tiara Adams (Lansing/Waverly) had 12 points.

The Warriors shot 54.1% (33-61) from the field and made four-of-11 (36.4%) three-pointers to go with 13-of-20 (65%) free throws.  FSU made 30-of-61 (49.2%) field goals and was six-of-17 (35.3%) beyond the arc along with eight-of-14 (57.1%) at the free throw stripe.

The Bulldogs were also outrebounded by a 35-29 count as WSU grabbed 12 offensive boards and held a 10-4 edge in second chance scoring.  Ferris also turned the ball over 14 times compared to 12 for Wayne State.

Both teams moved the ball well as WSU finished with 22 assists compared to 19 for FSU.  Houdek had a team-high six assists for the Bulldogs while Principe added four overall.  Both Lena Thomas and Amelia Davis totaled seven helpers for Wayne State.

The Warriors also had six blocked shots to two for FSU and both teams recorded eight steals.

Thursday's game marked FSU's annual "Pink Wave Night" in support of breast cancer research.  The Bulldogs wore pink shooting shirts and attire while the Warriors donned special pink uniforms.

Ferris State will host Findlay, which is tied for the GLIAC South Division lead, on Saturday (Feb. 19) at Wink Arena.  Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (ET) following the men's contest.  Saturday also represents "Kidz Day" sponsored by Green's Sporting Goods.

Bulldog Bites: The game featured 15 lead changes and the score was also tied five times ..... The Bulldogs' bench outscored WSU's reserves by a 19-8 margin ..... Both teams had 36 points in the paint .... Both teams also finished with 13 points off turnovers ..... Wayne State held a 15-8 edge in fast break production ..... Thursday's matchup was the first between the two teams this season .... The loss was only the Bulldogs' third in 16 series' meetings under head coach Tracey Dorow .... Ferris had won 13 of the last 15 matchups ....... The Bulldogs fell despite shooting 56.7% (17-30) from the floor in the final half as WSU made 20-of-32 (62.5%) field goals over the final 20 minutes.