Men's Basketball Wraps Up Weekend With Impressive Home Win

Postgame Press Conference Video

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad completed a weekend home sweep in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play with an impressive 86-70 win over visiting Tiffin on Saturday (Dec. 8) afternoon inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs, who had opened the homestand with a win over Ohio Dominican on Thursday night in Big Rapids, had four players reach double-figure scoring in topping what most believed was a much-improved Tiffin team coming into the contest.

Sophomore guard Drew Lehman (Toledo, Ohio/Catholic Central) scored a team-high 20 points and nailed four three-pointers in leading the Bulldogs to the victory.  He also came up with six rebounds, two assists and two steals in another solid all-around effort.

FSU also received 18 points, six rebounds and three assists from senior guard Kenny Brown (Farmington Hills/Harrison) with senior forward Daniel Sutherlin (Detroi/Renaissance) totaling 13 points.  Meanwhile, redshirt freshman center Jared Stolicker (Middleville/Thornapple-Kellogg) had his best game to date as a Bulldog with 11 points and a game-high 14 rebounds in a double-double effort.

Ferris State shot 41.7% for the day and connected on 48.3% of its second-half field goal attempts after building a four-point lead at the break.  FSU increased its lead to as many as 19 points in the second half with 2:30 remaining after opening the second half on a 8-0 run.

Senior guard Joe Graessle did his best to keep the Dragons in the game by scoring a game-high 24 points on 7-of-22 shooting.  He converted only one-of-eight three-point tries though as Tiffin shot only 34.3% for the game and hit only two-of-17 (11.8%) treys.

Besides Graessle, the Dragons had only one other player reach double-figure scoring as Michael Bouley chipped in with 10 points in the losing effort.

The contest featured 72 free throws as the two teams combined for 50 fouls on the day.  FSU finished 29-of-42 (69%) from the stripe, which included a 23-of-33 (69.7%) showing in the second half.  The Dragons were 22-of-30 (73.3%) at the line.

Despite being pressured up the floor most of the day, the Bulldogs managed to turn the ball over only eight times in the contest and held a 15-6 edge in points off turnovers after forcing 13 Tiffin miscues.  Ferris State also posted a slim 21-17 margin in second chance scoring despite the fact the Dragons had 22 offensive boards to only 15 for the Bulldogs.

Overall, Tiffin held a 49-41 rebounding advantage for the game.

Ferris State recorded 14 assists with sophomore guard Dietrich Lever (Detroit/Canton) dishing out a game-high five for the Bulldogs to go with nine points and two steals in the contest.  FSU also had seven steals and six blocked shots, including four from Stolicker.

The Dragons registered six assists, five steals and a pair of blocks in the game.

The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest as they beat the Dragons for the eighth time in nine all-time series' matchups.  The win was also FSU's eighth in a row over Tiffin.

Ferris State improved to 4-3 overall with the win and the two-time defending GLIAC North Division Champions pushed their league record to 3-1 overall with a second consecutive victory.  Tiffin fell to 3-5 on the year and 1-3 in conference action.

The Bulldogs will be back in action next Saturday, Dec. 15, as they open up a three-game road swing to wrap up the 2012 calendar year against the Findlay Oilers at Croy Gymnasium in Findlay, Ohio.  Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. (ET).  FSU will also visit Hillsdale on Dec. 17 for a league contest followed by a non-conference regional game at Indianapolis on Dec. 19.

Ferris State's next home contest at Wink Arena is not until Thursday, Jan. 3, when the Bulldogs entertain league newcomer Malone for the first-time ever at 6 p.m. (ET).