Ferris State Opens GLIAC Play With Decisive Road Win Over The Storm

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad started Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play off on a strong note as the Bulldogs beat Lake Erie 83-62 on the road Thursday (Dec. 4) night in Painesville, Ohio.

The Bulldogs won their fourth game in a row by beating the Storm for the fifth-straight time with the convincing triumph. FSU jumped out to a 38-21 halftime lead and outscored the Storm 45-41 over the final 20 minutes en route to the victory.

Ferris State remained unbeaten all-time versus Lake Erie as four players reached double-digit scoring in a balanced effort. Senior guard Drew Lehman paced FSU with a game-high 20 points while the Bulldogs also received 16 points from junior forward James Chappell along with 11 from junior forward Josh Fleming and 10 from freshman Noah King.

The Bulldogs shot 51.6% from the floor for the game and hit seven-of-15 three's (46.7%), including two-straight from King in the second half to thwart any hopes of a Storm comeback. FSU also made 10-of-13 (76.9%) free throws.

Along with the four players in double-figure scoring, Ferris State received nine points each from senior guard Dietrich Lever and junior center Jared Stolicker. 

Defensively, FSU limited Lake Erie to only 42% shooting, including a six-of-20 (30%) showing in the opening half of play. The Storm made seven-of-21 (33.3%) three's and 13-of-20 (65%) free throws.

Both Roy Alexander and Nick Wells totaled 13 points each in leading Lake Erie, which had lost only once in four games coming into the contest and owned a three-game win streak prior to the setback. FSU held leading scorer Andy Bosley, who was averaging 18 points per game, to only seven total points in the contest.

Ferris State dominated the glass with a 40-28 rebounding margin and grabbed 13 offensive boards to only seven for the hosts. Chappell led FSU on the glass with seven caroms and pulled down four offensive boards. Fleming and Stolicker both added six rebounds each.

Along with the advantage in shooting percentages and rebounding, FSU forced 17 turnovers and came away with nine steals. The Bulldogs had only 14 turnovers of their own and also benefited from six blocked shots, including three by Chappell and two from Stolicker. LEC had only a single block.

Both Chappell and Lehman dished out four assists each as part of Ferris State's 14-assist effort while the Storm received three from Sean Howard on the way to nine total assists.
With the win, Ferris State improved to 4-2 overall and opened GLIAC play with a 1-0 mark.

Meanwhile, Lake Erie dropped to 3-2 overall and started 0-1 in conference action.

Ferris State wraps up its two-game trip to Ohio by visiting Ashland on Saturday (Dec. 6) for a 3 p.m. (ET) tipoff in Ashland, Ohio.