Bulldogs Claim "Senior Night" Victory At WInk

Postgame Press Conference 
(Head Coach Tracey Dorow)

Postgame Press Conference 
(Kelsey DeNoyelles, Tricia Principe, Lindsey Pettit)

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad sent its senior class out with a bang on Wednesday (Feb. 22) night as FSU recorded a 61-51 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home win over visiting Hillsdale at Wink Arena.

The contest marked the final regular-season home game of the year for the Bulldog women, who will host a GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinal Round contest in Big Rapids next Wednesday (Feb. 29).

As part of the regular-season home finale, the Bulldogs honored three seniors in Tricia Principe (Kalamazoo/Mattawan), Kelsey DeNoyelles (Mt. Pleasant/Sacred Heart) and Lindsey Pettit (Portland) following the action as part of "Senior Night" activities.

The senior trio, which led FSU to the school's second-ever GLIAC North Division Championship this campaign, provided plenty of highlights in their final regular-season home games in the building.

After FSU had taken a five-point halftime lead, Principe became only the 15th player in school history to notch her 1,000th career point in the second frame.  She finished the contest with 10 points, six assists and two steals.

Pettit made her first start of the season on "Senior Night" and led the Bulldogs with 13 points in the game.  DeNoyelles also made a strong contribution in the lineup by scoring four points and pulling down four rebounds as Ferris State improved to 19-5 overall and 16-2 in the GLIAC.

The Bulldogs limited Hillsdale to only 36.2% shooting for the game, including only 31% in the opening 20 minutes of action.  The Chargers hit five-of-19 (26.3%) three's and four-of-six (66.7%) free throws.

Meanwhile, Ferris State hit 46.2% (24-52) of its field goals and was five-of-14 (35.7%) beyond the arc along with eight-of-11 (72.7%) at the free throw line.

Ferris State posted a decisive 41-26 advantage on the boards and had 10 offensive rebounds to only six for the Chargers, which led to a 16-5 margin in second chance scoring.

Besides Pettit and Principe, the Bulldogs had one other player reach double-figure scoring as sophomore guard Sarah DeShone (Elkhart, Ind./Jimtown) totaled 11 points. She also dished out five assists while Principe had six as part of FSU's 16 total helpers.

Bulldog sophomore forward Nikki Arner (Ludington) contributed eight points and a game-high 10 rebounds in the victory with freshman forward Christina Branch (Grand Rapids/West Michigan Lutheran) contributing six points, eight rebounds and two blocked shots.

FSU finished with five steals and four blocks in comparison to Hillsdale's seven steals and one blocked shot. The Chargers handed out 10 assists.

Chelsea Harrison paced Hillsdale with 17 points in the game while Lea Jones added 13 points and four assists in 37 minutes of action.  Angela Bisaro had nine points in relief off the bench.
All 11 Bulldog players saw action and played at least five minutes each as FSU outscored the Chargers 17-9 in bench production.

Finally, Ferris State turned the ball over 17 times to 12 for the Chargers with Hillsdale owning a 12-8 advantage in points off turnovers.  FSU totaled 28 points inside the paint to 22 for HC in a game that featured six lead changes. 

Ferris State will visit Grand Valley State on Saturday for its last GLIAC regular-season matchup this campaign.  Tipoff is set for 6 p.m. (ET) inside the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena and the contest will be carried live online only by the Bulldog Sports Network at www.FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

Game Notes: FSU has clinched a GLIAC Tournament berth and will host a quarterfinal-round matchup on Feb. 29. Pairings will be announced at the conclusion of regular-season play this weekend .... FSU is currently ranked fourth in the latest NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Rankings announced today ..... Ferris State improved to 34-23 all-time against the Chargers, who had won 11 of the last 18 matchups overall entering the game ..... The victory was FSU's 13th in its last 14 contests this campaign.