First-Place Bulldogs Dominate NU At Home

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad delighted the home fans as the Bulldogs romped to an impressive 78-44 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) triumph over visiting Northwood on Saturday (Jan. 14) afternoon inside Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs, who are first in the GLIAC North Division standings, improved to 10-4 overall and 7-1 in league play with the win over the Timberwolves, who fell to 7-8 overall and 2-6 in conference play.  The victory was FSU's second over Northwood this season.

Ferris State jumped out to a seven-point lead only five minutes into the contest and led by 20 (40-20) at halftime.  FSU pushed the advantage to as many as 34 points with 7:03 to play and Northwood never managed to get within 30 the rest of the way.

Four Bulldog players reached double-figure scoring in the victory.  Sophomore guard Sarah DeShone (Elkhart, Ind./Jimtown) led the way with a game-high 18 points, senior guard Kelsey DeNoyelles (Mt. Pleasant/Sacred Heart) added 14 points, sophomore forward Nikki Arner (Ludington) totaled 12 points and junior guard Kylie Muntz (Dayton, Ohio) chipped in 11 points.

Overall, FSU shot 50.8% (30-59) from the floor and knocked down eight-of-17 (47.1%) three's to go with a 10-of-15 (66.7%) showing at the free throw stripe.  The Bulldogs shot 51.9% (14-27) in the first frame.

Defensively, Ferris State limited Northwood to only 26.5% (13-49) shooting for the day, including only five-of-25 (20%) in the first half alone.  The Timberwolves were only four-of-20 (20%) beyond the arc and 14-of-25 (56%) at the free throw line.

Savannah Stedman paced Northwood with 16 points in the game, but she was the only NU player to reach double-digit scoring.

Ferris State held a decisive 44-32 rebounding edge and had eight second chance points to only six for the Timberwolves.  FSU also forced 23 turnovers, which helped lead to a commanding 29 to 9 margin in points off miscues.

FSU received a valuable effort from its bench as all 10 who played cracked the scoring column and helped the Bulldogs outscore the Northwood reserves by a 26-21 count.

Besides the four players in double-figures, the Bulldogs also received a game-high nine rebounds and three blocked shots from freshman forward Christina Branch (Grand Rapids/West Michigan Lutheran) along with seven boards and three blocks by freshman center Hannah Hoffman (Okemos).  Arner added seven boards to help the Bulldog cause.

DeNoyelles along with senior guard Tricia Principe (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) and sophomore forward Ashley Rando (Jackson/Northwest) all had three assists apiece as FSU totaled 15 on the day to go with 15 steals and seven blocked shots.  FSU turned the ball over 16 times for the afternoon.  DeShone had five steals while Principe had three as five Bulldog players totaled two thefts or more in the outing.

On the opposite side, Northwood finished with 10 assists, nine steals and two blocks.  NU was also outscored 28-16 by the Bulldogs in the paint as Ferris State never trailed in the game.

The win pushed FSU's all-time series' advantage over Northwood to 49-16 overall, including the school's 25th win in 31 tries versus the Timberwolves in Big Rapids.  FSU head coach Tracey Dorow also picked up her 26th win over Northwood (26-4) and it was FSU's eighth victory in the last 12 series' matchups.

Saturday's triumph came as part of Kidz Day sponsored by Jet's Pizza and included activities for kids such as a bounce house, arts and crafts table, chasing Brutus the Bulldog and more.  

Ferris State owns a one-game lead over Michigan Tech in the GLIAC North Division standings and the two teams will square off against each other next Thursday, Jan. 19, at 5:30 p.m. (ET) in Houghton, Mich.  The game will be carried live by local radio station Sunny 97.3 FM and accessible online via the Bulldog Sports Network at www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com. The Meijer Pregame Show starts one-half hour prior to tipoff with Rob Bentley calling the action.

FSU then visits Northern Michigan next Saturday (Jan. 21) before returning home to host rival Grand Valley State in two weeks (Jan. 28).