Strong Second-Half Fuels FSU Past Calvin
Grand Rapids, Mich. – The Ferris State University
men’s basketball team limited longtime West Michigan rival
Calvin to only 29.7% shooting en route to a 88-68 exhibition
triumph over the Knights on Tuesday (Nov. 10) evening inside the
new Van Noord Arena in Grand Rapids.
Ferris held Calvin to only 19 total field goals and forced 14
turnovers for the night while also shooting 50% (37-74) from the
field in its final exhibition contest.
The Bulldogs scored the final four points of the opening frame to
take a narrow 40-36 halftime advantage and proceeded to outscore
Calvin 48-32 the rest of the way to grab the win and finish
exhibition play with a 2-1 mark.
FSU held only a one-point lead (52-51) with 13:09 to play in the
contest, but closed the game on a 36-17 run despite playing a large
portion of the second frame without preseason All-America
forward/center Justin Keenan, who was injured and
did not return.
The Bulldogs had five players reach double-figure scoring in the
contest with senior guard Josh Young pacing FSU
with a game-high tying 19 points. Keenan chipped in 18 points in
only 19 minutes of action while senior guard Jon
Yeazel added 14 points, including 12 in the second half.
Senior guard Austin Randel scored 13 points and
freshman forward Daniel Sutherlin also reached
double-digits with 11 points in the outing.
Three Calvin players also scored in double-figures. Mattt Veltema
tallied 19 points, Danny Rodts scored 13 points and John Mantel
netted 10 points.
The Bulldogs shot 57.1% in the second half and held a 48-42
rebounding edge for the game, which included 22 offensive boards.
Sutherlin grabbed seven rebounds with Yeazel, Keenan, Young and
junior forward Lou Williams all pulling down six
caroms.
Ferris came up with seven steals, blocked seven shots and dished
out 14 assists, which helped offset a three-of-14 (21.4%) effort
beyond the three-point arc and an 11-of-20 (55%) showing at the
free throw line.
The Knights sank seven-of-22 (31.8%) three-pointers for the game
and connected on 23-of-33 (69.7%) free throws.
Despite Keenan’s absence for most of the second half, the
Bulldogs maintained an impressive 46-12 edge in points scored
inside the paint. The game featured 11 lead changes and the score
was tied six times, but Ferris never trailed in the final 20
minutes.
Ferris State will officially open the 2009-10 season by visiting
Lewis (Ill.) for a non-conference contest this Sunday (Nov. 15) at
Neil Carey Arena in Romeoville, Ill. The start time for the game
has been changed to 6 p.m. CT (7 p.m. ET).
FSU will then visit NCAA Division I Central Michigan on Monday,
Nov. 16, for a 7 p.m. (ET) non-conference regular-season encounter
at Rose Arena in Mount Pleasant, Mich.
Bulldog Bites: The exhibition victory was Ferris’
fourth preseason win in its last five exhibition games going back
to last season …… FSU head coach Bill
Sall continued his success in the Calvin-Ferris series. He
has been on the winning side 10 times in 13 regular-season
encounters and in exhibition tilts each of the last two years. Sall
formerly played collegiate basketball and served as an assistant
coach at Calvin and was also involved in the series’ as a
Bulldog assistant coach in the mid-1990’s before returning to
take over the FSU program ……. Tuesday’s
exhibition represented the Bulldogs’ first appearance in the
new 5,000-seat Van Noord Arena, which opened in January of 2009 as
part of the $50 million dollar Spoelhof Athletic Complex ….
Calvin was chosen as the Michigan Intercollegiate Athletic
Association (MIAA) co-favorite after claiming the league crown a
year ago and is ranked 18th in the Division III News Preseason Top
25 Poll.