Kentucky Wesleyan Rallies For Win Over Ferris State In Women's Basketball Season Opener

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad got off to a great start, but Kentucky Wesleyan rallied for a 64-55 win over the Bulldogs in the season opener on Friday (Nov. 13) night at the Pops Duncan Classic in Nashville, Tenn.

FSU, in the first game under first-year head coach Kendra Faustin, grabbed a 32-24 halftime lead over the Panthers. However, regional foe KWC outscored the Bulldogs 18-13 in the third period to pull within three and then posted 22 points in the fourth quarter while limiting FSU to 10 in the final 10 minutes of action.

The game also marked the first regular-season outing for both squads under the new women's basketball four-quarter format this year.

Ferris State was paced by sophomore forward Rachel McInerney, who scored a game-high 21 points on nine-of-15 shooting. She had 12 points in the opening half and added six rebounds in the game.

Along with McInerney, FSU recieved 13 points with five rebounds, five assists and two steals from senior guard Katie Mavis. Freshman forward Abby Nakfoor added six points and a team-leading 10 rebounds in her collegiate debut.

Overall, five different players appeared in a Bulldog uniform on the floor for the first time in regular-season action with only four returnees included among the nine who saw action.

Ferris State shot 39.3% for the evening, which included a 43% figure in the first half before FSU cooled off to 34.6% over the final two periods. The Bulldogs were three-of-10 (30%) from three-point range and made only four-of-14 (28.6%) free throws.

On the opposite side, Brittany Wells tallied 17 points in leading Kentucky Wesleyan to the come from behind win. The Panthers shot 32.3% from the field and hit 44% in the second period after being limited to only 23.5% in the opening half. KWC was four-of-16 (25%) from downtown and made 22-of-25 (88%) free throws as the Panthers held a decided advantage at the free throw stripe with FSU called for 24 total fouls.

Both teams compiled 41 rebounds on the night and each had 12 offensive boards with FSU owning a 10-7 margin in second chance production. However, the Bulldogs turned the ball over 28 times to 22 for Kentucky Wesleyan, which led to a 20-15 advantage in KWC's favor in points off turnovers.

Ferris State totaled 12 assists, nine steals and three blocked shots in comparison to the Panthers' five assists, 10 steals and three blocks. The game featured five lead changes and the score was tied six times.

Both sophomore guard Hannah Evo and freshman Riley Blair tallied three steals apiece for the Bulldogs with Blair also grabbing seven rebounds.

Ferris State will aim for the opening-weekend split on Saturday (Nov. 14) as the Bulldogs square off against host Trevecca Nazarene in the Pops Duncan Classic. Tipoff is set for 2 p.m. (ET).