Ferris Runs Past Dragons For Third-Straight Win
Big Rapids, Mich. – The Ferris State men’s
basketball team continued its impressive homecourt performance this
campaign as the Bulldogs cruised to a decisive 82-61 Great Lakes
Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) victory over the Tiffin
Dragons on Saturday (Dec. 5) afternoon inside FSU’s Jim Wink
Arena.
Ferris jumped out to an early 10-point advantage only six minutes
into the game and led by 21 points at halftime (49-28) in winning
its third-straight league outing this week at home. The Dragons
could not get closer than 18 points the rest of the way as FSU
improved to 3-3 overall and remained unbeaten (3-0) in conference
action.
“I’m really happy with the way we came out and played
today,” said FSU head coach Bill Sall.
“Our guys came out with a purpose, which was good to see.
“We played well offensively the entire game and really shared
the ball,” Sall added.
The Bulldogs tallied 26 assists and shot 50.8% (31-61) from the
floor for the afternoon while connecting on 11-of-24 (45.8%)
three-point field goal tries. Ferris also owned a slim 34-31
rebounding edge and held a 23-11 edge in points off turnovers as
the Dragons had 17 miscues in the contest.
A balanced Bulldog lineup saw five players reach double-figures
with junior forward/center Justin Keenan posting a
team-high 16 points to go with five rebounds and five assists. He
was joined in double-digits by senior guards Josh
Young and Jon Yeazel, who both scored 13
points, along with junior guard Matt DeHart (12)
and senior guard Austin Randel (11).
Offensively, the Bulldogs also received a game-high eight assists
and six points from junior guard Darien Gay.
Freshman forward Daniel Sutherlin chipped in with
eight points and eight rebounds in his second career start while
sophomore guard Dontae Molden contributed with
five assists and three points.
Ferris shot 52.9% (18-34) in the opening period and made nine
three-pointers in the opening stanza. The Bulldogs also finished
the game with 10 steals and two blocked shots to go
wtih 13 turnovers.
Meanwhile, FSU limited the Dragons to 42.6% (26-61) shooting in the
outing with TU making six-of-18 (33.3%) attempts from beyond the
arc. The Dragons also managed to attempt only four free throws,
making three, compared to FSU’s nine-of-11 (81.8%) showing at
the stripe in a game that saw both teams finish with only 11
personal fouls.
Keenan Barlow led Tiffin with a game-high 20 points while DeAngelo
Jordan added 11 points and Mohammed Fall tallied 10 points.
Ferris State outscored the Dragons 19-5 in fast break points and
the Bulldog reserves outscored the Tiffin bench by a 28-11 count
despite playing without the services of junior forward Lou
Williams. Ferris’ fast break total included a pair
of dunks by Sutherlin along with one from Yeazel.
“There were more good dunks in this game that were
highlight-worthy than I’ve seen in a long time, including a
few from them,” Sall said.
The Bulldogs will take their unbeaten league record on the road
next week for a pair of conference outings. FSU visits defending
NCAA Division II National Champion Findlay on Thursday, Dec. 10,
for a 7:30 p.m. (EST) tilt at UF’s Croy Gymnasium in Findlay,
Ohio, where the nationally ninth-ranked Oilers have won 39
consecutive games and hold a 77-game regular season homecourt
winning streak. In the past seven years, the Oilers are 107-2
(.982) at home heading into Thursday’s matchup.
“Our guys realize that is an extremely tough place to play
and they don’t lose at home often, so I don’t think
we’ll have to motivate them much for that one,” said
Sall.
Ferris then concludes the pre-Christmas portion of its schedule at
Hillsdale on Saturday, Dec. 12, with tipoff set for 3 p.m. (EST)
inside HC’s Jesse Phillips Arena.
Bulldog Bites: Five Bulldog players
tallied three assists or more in the game … The win was
FSU’s fourth series’ triumph in five tries versus the
Dragons, including the fourth in a row …… The
Bulldogs have now won five of their last six home outings going
back to last season …… The game featured only one
lead change with the Dragons holding their only lead on a
three-pointer to start the contest …… FSU players
signed autographs after the game for a large contingent of kids,
including several in attendance as part of the Manton Youth
Basketball program …… The Bulldogs’ Rebounders
Booster Club also held a postgame reception inside the facility
…… Ferris’ current 3-0 league start is the
program’s best since winning seven-straight to open the
2005-06 campaign en route to a NCAA Division II National Tournament
appearance …… FSU won its three home contests this
week against Grand Valley State, Ashland and Tiffin by an average
margin of 19 points per game …… The Bulldogs’
82 points versus the Dragons matched Thursday’s 82-point
offensive output versus Ashland …Tiffin dropped to 1-4
overall and 0-2 in league play this year with the loss.