Women's Basketball Wins For Third Time In GLIAC Play

Women's Basketball Wins For Third Time In GLIAC Play

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball team earned a hard-fought Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home win on Saturday (Dec. 8) over the Tiffin Dragons with a 61-51 triumph at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs improved to 4-3 overall and 3-1 in league competition with the victory as they won for the second time in as many regular-season outings on their home floor this campaign.  FSU previously opened the two-game homestand with a win over Ohio Dominican on Thursday.

Ferris State trailed Tiffin by a single point at halftime and the Dragons led by two points with 13:41 to play in the contest.  After the Bulldogs took a six-point lead with 11:04 to go, Tiffin managed to tie the game up for the 11th time with 7:28 to go.

After the final tie, the Bulldogs closed the game with a 13-3 run to come out with the victory. The final seven-minute stretch featured six free throws in the final 2:14 by the Bulldogs and the Dragons turned the ball over three times.

Junior guard Sarah DeShone totaled only four points in the initial half for the Bulldogs, but finished with a game-high 20 points in the contest.  She added six rebounds for the Bulldogs in 39 minutes of action and connected on seven-of-nine free throws.

Ferris State sophomore forward Kara Hess (Grand Rapids/Grandville) also reached double-figures with 11 points and eight rebounds in addition to three assists.

While those were the only two Bulldog players to reach double-figure scoring, FSU did receive eight points and seven rebounds from sophomore center Hannah Hoffman (Okemos).  Senior guard Kylie Muntz (Dayton, Ohio) added five points, four assists and three boards while junior forward Ashley Rando (Jackson/Northwest) totaled six points, six rebounds, four steals and a blocked shot.  Redshirt freshman guard Katie Mavis (St. Joseph) added six points as well to go with three rebounds and two assists.

Ferris State shot 40.7% for the day, including 46.2% in the second half.  FSU was five-of-20 (25%) beyond the three-point line and 12-of-15 (80%) at the free throw line.

Meanwhile, Tiffin finished shooting 32.2% (19-59) for the afternoon and was three-of-14 (21.4%) from three-point range along with 10-of-16 (62.5%) at the stripe.

The Dragons were paced by Jillian Adams' 14 points.  Jessica Harris added 13 points and 10 boards in a double-double showing while Stephanie Kelly contributed 10 points.

Ferris State turned the ball over 22 times as Tiffin held a 21-11 edge in points off turnovers despite having 18 of their own.  The Dragons netted 12 steals off of FSU's turnovers with the Bulldogs finishing with seven thefts on the day.

The Bulldogs held a decisive advantage on the glass with a 48-30 rebounding margin and came up with 17 offensive boards to 14 for the visitors.  FSU also had 10 assists and three blocked shots compared to Tiffin's eight assists and two blocks.

Overall, the contest featured five lead changes.  FSU outscored the Dragons 28-16 inside the paint and had 11 points off the bench compared to only four for the Tiffin reserves.

With the win, the Bulldogs improved to 5-4 all-time against Tiffin and it marked FSU's second win in a row over the Dragons after knocking Tiffin out of the GLIAC Tournament last season with a semifinal-round win.  TU dropped to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the GLIAC with the setback.

The victory capped a two-game homestand for the Bulldogs as first-year head coach Colleen Lamoreaux-Tate picked up her second win inside Wink Arena.  

Ferris State will play its next two games on the road to wrap up the 2012 calendar year as the Bulldogs visit Findlay on Saturday, Dec. 15, followed by a trip to Hillsdale on Monday, Dec. 17.  Next Saturday's game at Findlay tips off at 3 p.m. (ET) inside Croy Gymnasium in Findlay, Ohio.

FSU's next home contest will be on Thursday, Jan. 3, when league newcomer Malone visits Wink Arena for the first time.