Ferris State Bounces Back For Big Women's Basketball Road Win At Ashland

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad bounced back from its Thursday night loss in a big way by beating Ashland University 87-80 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play on the road Saturday (Dec. 6) at Kates Gymnasium in Ashland, Ohio.

FSU bolted out to a 44-29 halftime lead and held on down the stretch for the victory over the Eagles while improving to 4-2 overall and 2-1 in the GLIAC.

Ferris State pushed a 15-point edge at the break to as many as 22 points with 17:56 to play before the Eagles stormed back. They cut the margin back to single digits before FSU came up with the necessary plays down the stretch to earn the win.

Junior guard Katie Mavis tallied a team-high 19 points in leading FSU and also totaled seven rebounds, three assists and a steal for the Bulldogs. Meanwhile, junior guard Dena Droste and sophomore guard Ally Christman both added 18 points each while junior center Christina Branch netted 17 points and a squad-high nine rebounds in the win.

Ferris State shot 50% for the game and connected on six-of-17 (35.3%) three's along with 19-of-25 (76%) free throws. FSU also forced 21 turnovers, which led to a 29-21 margin in points off turnovers.

Ashland was led by Maggie Mitchell, who had a game-high 24 points. Laina Snyder added 20 points and Taylor Woods scored 17 points for the Eagles, who dropped to 2-4 overall and 0-2 in league play.

Ferris State was outrebounded 38-33 for the game, but the Bulldogs had 13 steals, including five from Droste in notching the triumph. FSU also finished with 14 assists, which featured four from Christman and three each by Mavis and Droste.

Meanwhle, Ashland compiled 19 assists, 11 steals and three blocked shots in the game. The Eagles shot 44.8% from the floor and made 13-of-24 (54.2%) free throws in addition to seven-of-eight (87.5%) free throws.

Ferris State returns home to host Ohio Dominican in GLIAC play on Sunday, Dec. 14, with tipoff set for 12 p.m. (ET) inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.