Ferris State Men's Basketball Battles D1 Central Michigan In Exhibition Setback

Photo Courtesy CMUChippewas.com

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad battled NCAA Division I Central Michigan much of the way before falling 77-63 to the Chippewas in exhibition play on Saturday (Nov. 7) evening at McGuirk Arena in Mount Pleasant.

The host Chippewas jumped out to a 42-30 halftime lead and narrowly outscored the Bulldogs 35-33 in the second frame to account for the final margin. The contest was the first of two for the Bulldogs against D1 competition over a three-day span.

Ferris State shot 42.4% in the second half after being limited to only a 28.9% showing in the initial 20 minutes of action, which included a three-of-20 (15%) figure beyond the three-point arc in half one. The Bulldogs improved to 21.2% (7-33) from downtown for the game and finished 32.5% overall from the floor with 25 field goals on 71 attempts.

Meanwhile, Central Michigan finished shooting 39.4% (26-66) from the floor and connected on 12-of-36 (33.3%) three's to go with 13-of-19 (68.4%) free throws. FSU was only six-of-nine (66.7%) from the free throw stripe.

Senior center Jared Stolicker paced the Bulldogs with a game-high 16 points and nine rebiounds along with two blocked shots. He finished six-of-10 from the floor for FSU and hit all four of his free throw attempts.

Along with Stolicker, the Bulldogs received 10 points and six boards with three assists from sophomore guard Drew Cushingberry. Senior forward Josh Felming netted seven points and four boards while newcomer Peter Firlik totaled eight points, seven rebounds and two assists overall.

CMU had five players reach double-figure scoring with Chris Fowler compiling a team-best 13 points. Both Braylon Rayson and Rayshawn Simmons totaled 11 points apiece and Austin Stewart scored 10 for the Chippewas.

Ferris State outrebounded the Chippewas 49-42 for the night, including a 21-14 edge in offensive caroms. FSU had eight assists, five steals and five blocks in comparison to CMU's 17 assists, eight steals and two swats.

Overall, the Bulldogs also had 14 turnvoers to nine for the Chippewas, who were picked to win the Mid-American Conference (MAC) West Division this season.

The Bulldogs will face another big test on Monday (Nov. 9) night as they venture to East Lansing to face the Michigan State Spartans in exhibition play at the Breslin Center. The game tips off at 7 p.m. (ET) and will be broadcast live by local flagship station Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.