#19 Ferris State Receives Clutch Shooting To Win 13th-Straight & Stay Unbeaten In GLIAC

Houghton, Mich. - The nationally 19th-ranked Ferris State University men's basketball squad made several big plays down the stretch at crunch time to come away with its 13th-straight victory as the Bulldogs posted a 63-51 road win over Michigan Tech on Thursday (Jan. 15) night at the Student Development Complex Gymnasium in Houghton.

FSU recorded its first-win over the Huskies in the Upper Peninsuala in five years to remain unbeaten in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) action as the Bulldogs moved to 13-2 overall and a perfect 9-0 in GLIAC play.

Senior guard Drew Lehman hit a pair of three-pointers from the corner in the closing minutes to lift FSU to the win and he finished with a game-high 18 points for the Bulldogs.

Lehman was joined in double-digits by junior center Jared Stolicker, who netted 16 points on seven-of-12 shooting. Junior forward Josh Fleming also scored in double-figures with 10 points for Ferris State.

Their performances offset the MTU backcourt combination of Jordan Chartier and Ben Stelzer, who combined for 27 points in the contst. Chartier scored 16 points with Stelzer hitting for 11 points, but his production came on a four-of-13 shooting performance.

Ferris State forced 13 Michigan Tech turnovers and made 13-of-19 (68.4%) free throws en route to the win. FSU, which finished with only nine turnovers, outscored MTU 12-9 in points off miscues and held a nine-to-six edge in second chance production.

MTU held a 27-26 lead at halftime, but FSU outscored the Huskies 37-24 in the final frame as MTU dropped to 9-4 overall and 6-3 in league action with the setback in the first of two regular-season matchups between the two longtime conference foes.

FSU, which had lost six of the last seven meetings against MTU heading into the 115th series' meeting, shot 42% from the floor and made six-of-16 (37.5%) three's. Meanwhile, Michigan Tech converted 42% of its field goals and was six-of-18 (33.3%) from downtown along with five-of-nine (55.6%) at the line.

Stolicker paced FSU on the glass with seven rebounds as Ferris State held a 32-31 edge for the game. Fleming added six boards and freshman Noah King came off the bench to grab five rebounds while also adding five points to aid the Bulldog cause.

Defensively, FErris State registered 10 steals and had four blocked shots for the night. Junior forward James Chappell had a team-best three steals while Stolicker netted two swats.

The Bulldogs also dished out 12 assists, including three each from Lehman and senior guard Dietrich Lever. Both Chappell and junior guard Jibreel Jackson added a pair of helpers.

Overall, the back-and-forth game was tied eight times and featured 11 lead changes.

Ferris State will look to remain unbeaten in conference play and post its 14th-straight win as FSU ventures to Marquette to face Northern Michigan on Saturday (Jan. 17) at the Berry Events Center in Marquette. NMU is guided by former Ferris State head coach Bill Sall.

Saturday's game can be heard live on Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.