Two Double-Doubles Not Enough As Ferris State Women's Hoops Suffers Setback At Hillsdale

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad again got off to a strong start, but host Hillsdale rallied in the second half for a 88-75 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) victory over the Bulldogs on Thursday (Jan. 28) night in Hillsdale.

FSU led 22-18 after the opening quarter and held a slim 40-39 lead at halftime before the Chargers stormed back in the second period. Overall, FSU held a lead as big as 16 points at one stage in the game and owned a one-point advantage with 8:34 remaining before Hillsdale closed the game on a 26-12 run.

The loss came despite a pair of double-double performances on the Bulldog side. Sophomore center Rachel McInerney tallied a team-high 19 points and pulled down 10 rebounds while forward Alexis Huntey netted 17 points and a squad-best 12 boards in the FSU setback.

Ferris State, which wrapped up a three-game road stretch, also received 12 points off the bench from freshman guard Alexis Bush, who hit three treys, along with 11 points by junior forward Joslyn Nicholson. Freshman forward Abby Nakfoor added six points and five boards while senior guard Katie Mavis totaled five points, six rebounds and a team-high seven assists.

On the Hillsdale end, Kelsey Cromer had the hot hand as she hit three triples en route to a game-best 23-point performance. Brittany Gray chipped in 12 points off the bench while both Allie Dittmer and Morgan Blair contributed 11 points each.

Both teams posted identical 43.5% shooting performance, but Hillsdale hit 10-of-23 (43.5%) three's compared to FSU's six-of-17 (35.3%) figure from long range. The Bulldogs went 15-of-24 (62.5%) at the line with Hillsdale sinking 18-of-21 (85.7%) free throws.

Behind McInerney and Huntey, FSU outrebounded Hillsdale 41-39 for the game and the Bulldogs pulled down 13 offensive boards to 11 on the HC side.

The Chargers, though, outscored Ferris State 25-9 in points off turnovers as FSU finished with 16 in the game compared to only 11 for Hillsdale. They also slightly outscored the Bulldogs on the offensive glass by a 19-16 margin.

Along with Mavis' seven assists, FSU also received five from junior guard Emily Evans and three by Nakfoor on the way to a total of 20 assists. Ferris State also totaled three steals and two blocks.

In comparison, Hillsdale finished with 19 assists, 11 steals and five blocks overall. HC also received 34 points off the bench to 25 from the Bulldog reserves, but was outscored by FSU in the paint 38-34 for the night.

The game was the first of two matchups this season between the two squads in GLIAC North Division play.

Ferris State will return home for a #BeatTheValleys homestand as FSU hosts Saginaw Valley State on Saturday (Jan. 30) at Wink Arena starting at 1 p.m. (ET). The Bulldogs then face archrival Grand Valley State in another league home matchup on Monday (Feb. 1) evening beginning at 6 p.m. (ET).