Ferris State Opens New Year With Close Road Win At Findlay For Third-Straight Victory

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad finally returned to action after an extended holiday break and rung in the New Year with a well-earned 63-60 road triumph over Findlay on Friday (Jan. 2) night at Croy Gymnasium in Findlay, Ohio.

The Bulldogs battled back from a first-half deficit and held on down the stretch on a critical game-ending stop as the Oilers tried to come up with the tying basket to send the game to overtime.

The contest, which was FSU's first since Dec. 14, lifted the Bulldogs to a 6-2 overall record and a 4-1 mark in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The win was FSU's third-straight this campaign.

Junior forward Christina Branch tallied a contest-best 17 points in leading the Bulldogs to the win. She scored 14 of her 17 points in the second half to spark FSU to the victory. While she was the only player in double-digits for FSU, the Bulldogs had a balanced effort with contributions throughout the lineup.

Both guard Destiney Robinson and sophomore Ally Christman tallied nine points each for Ferris State while senior center Hannah Hoffman added eight points.

Findlay was paced by Karli Bonar, who scored 15 points and hit five-of-11 three's in the game. Ciara Geiger added 12 points and Margaret Wuebker totaled 11 points for the Oilers.

FSU shot 46.9% for the game and hit eight-of-18 (44.4%) three's along with nine-of-14 (64.3%) free throws.

The Bulldogs limited Findlay to 34.5% shooting. UF was eight-of-28 (28.6%) beyond the three-point stripe and 12-of-17 (70.6%) at the line.

Findlay held a 36-32 rebounding edge and forced 22 FSU turnovers, but the Bulldogs totaled 12 steals and three blocked shots to 11 thefts and one block for the Oilers.

Ferris State wraps up its two-game trip by visiting nationally-ranked Wayne State on Sunday (Jan. 4) for a 1 p.m. (ET) league tilt at the Matthaei Complex in Detroit. The contest against the Warriors can be heard live on Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

Bulldog Bites: Ferris State owns the best combined men's and women's basketball record in the GLIAC to date as the two squads have compiled a league-best 9-1 mark this season .... The Bulldogs are currently tied for second overall in the league with only a single conference loss on the year ...... FSU outscored Findlay 28-18 inside the paint on the night ...... The game featured seven lead changes and was tied seven times overall.