SVSU Finishes Well In Topping FSU Men
Big Rapids, Mich. - Saginaw Valley State closed the game with a strong five-minute stretch to top Ferris State 86-72 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) men's basketball action on Saturday (Jan. 9) evening during the "Basketball Bonanza" at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.
The Cardinals owned a one-point lead with 4:52 to play, but outscored FSU 21-8 the rest of the way in claiming the league road win.
Ferris led for much of the first half and held a 37-32 halftime advantage before the Cardinals came back in the final period. FSU's largest lead of seven points came with 8:53 remaining in the opening stanza.
Both teams placed four players in double-figure scoring. However, Saginaw Valley State held FSU to only 36.8% (28-76) shooting overall while connecting on 44.4% (24-54) of its own field goal attempts. FSU made 10-of-27 (37%) three-pointers with SVSU htting five-of-12 (41.7%) tries from the arc.
The Cardinals held a 45-39 rebounding edge for the game and benefited from a big foul discrepancy as the Bulldogs were whistled for 29 personal fouls and the Cardinals being called for only 16 fouls. That led to SVSU's 33-of-43 (76.7%) effort from the free throw stripe where Ferris was only six-of-11 (54.5%) for the game.
FSU was paced by senior guard Josh Young's 19 points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Junior forward/center Justin Keenan chipped in with 15 points and nine boards while junior guard Darien Gay nailed five three-pointers on his way to a 15-point showing. Finally, senior guard Austin Randel tallied 10 points on the night.
On the opposite side, the Cardinals had three players score more than 20 points with senior guard Avery Stephenson netting a game-best 23 points and seven rebounds. Keithan Jackson added 21 points and 14 boards in a double-double effort. Chris Webb chipped in with 20 points and Greg Foster finished with 17 points.
The Bulldogs turned the ball over only 12 times while forcing 14 Cardinal miscues. FSU also dished out 17 assists to go with seven blocked shots and six steals. Meanwhile, Saginaw Valley State had nine assists, seven steals and five swats for the game.
The loss was the second-straight for the Bulldog men at home as FSU fell to 6-6 overall and 4-3 in the GLIAC. SVSU also improved its league mark to 4-3 and now holds a 7-5 overall record this campaign.
Ferris State returns to action on Monday (Jan. 11) evening with a league road game at archrival Grand Valley State. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. (EST) inside the GVSU Fieldhouse Arena at Allendale, Mich., and the game will be carried live locally in the Big Rapids area on WBRN (1460 AM & 107.7 FM).
Bulldog Bites: The total attendance for the "Basketball Bonanza" was listed as 1,229 ..... The event featured four games with two prep and two college contests ....... The Bulldogs had won 10 of the last 16 series' matchups heading into the game ..... Junior forward Lou Williams totaled four blocked shots for FSU ...... Ferris' bench outscored the Cardinal reserves by a 12-2 count.
