FSU Snaps Huskies' 37-Game Home Win Streak

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad pulled out an exciting 68-65 triumph over nationally 19th-ranked Michigan Tech to snap the Huskies' 37-game homecourt winning streak on Thursday (Jan. 19) night at the Student Development Complex Gymnasium in Houghton, Mich.

FSU trailed by five points at halftime, but shot 58.3% (14-24) from the floor in the final half to win the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division showdown.  The Bulldogs claimed the victory over the Huskies to take a two-game lead over MTU in the divisional standings.

Senior guard Tricia Principe (Kalamazoo/Mattawan) tallied a team-high 25 points in the contest and nailed five three-pointers in the final half to lead the Bulldog cause.  Senior guard Kelsey DeNoyelles (Mt. Pleasant/Sacred Heart) chipped in with 11 points while sophomore guard Sarah DeShone (Elkhart, Ind./Jimtown) added 10 points in the triumph.

The Bulldogs posted a decisive 39-24 rebounding advantage and came away with eight offensive boards to only two for the Huskies, who fell to 11-4 overall and 6-3 in the conference after finishing as the NCAA Division II National Runner-Up last season.

With the win, FSU improved to 11-4 overall this campaign and 8-1 in GLIAC play.  The win was also Ferris State's second in as many tries versus the Huskies this year.

The Bulldogs limited Michigan Tech to only 36% (9-25) shooting in the final half and 41.5% (22-53) for the game.  Meanwhile, FSU converted 45.1% (23-51) of its field goal tries and hit nine-of-16 (56.3%) tries beyond the arc to go with 13-of-18 (72.2%) at the free throw stripe.

Michigan Tech built a 33-28 halftime advantage as the Huskies sank six three's in the initial frame and finished 11-of-24 (45.8%) from three-point range.  The lead grew to 10 points as MTU scored the opening five points of the second half, but FSU answered with a 10-0 run to knot the game and eventually took a 14-point lead.

The Huskies cut the defecit down to a single point in the closing seconds before Principe hit two critical free throws with eight seconds to go.  MTU could not score on its final offensive possession as time expired.

Sam Hoyt paced Michigan Tech with a game-high 26 points in the game and made six-of-eight three's in the setback. Lindsey Lindstrom chipped in with 10 points, but those were the only two Michigan Tech players to reach double-digits in the contest.

Ferris State had 14 turnovers to only eight for Michigan Tech and both teams netted six steals.  Michigan Tech finished with five blocked shots to two for FSU.  The Huskies also had 14 assists while FSU finished with 11, including four from DeShone.

Sophomore forward Nikki Arner (Ludington) totaled a game-high 11 rebounds for the Bulldogs and netted nine points in helping the Bulldogs to the victory.  The win was FSU's fifth-straight this season.

The Bulldogs will wrap up their two-game trip to Michigan's Upper Peninsula as they visit Northern Michigan on Saturday (Jan. 21) with tipoff set for 1 p.m. (ET) at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. 

The contest can be heard live on Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network starting with the Meijer Pregame Show at 12:30 p.m. (ET). It is also accessible online at www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com.