Ferris State Heats Up In Second Half Before Spartans Answer In Exhibition Tilt

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East Lansing, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad heated up midway thru the second half to make things interesting, but the Michigan State Spartans answered the bell as they topped FSU 93-57 in exhibition action before a crowd of nearly 15,000 fans at the Breslin Center on Monday (Nov. 9) night in East Lansing.

After FSU took an early advantage and competed well with the Spartans in the initial half, Michigan State grabbed a 19-point halftime lead and stretched the advantage early in the second frame.

However, the Bulldogs used some timely three-point shooting to cut the deficit back to 12 points in the second period before MSU responded. Led by senior All-American Denzel Valentine, the Spartans went on a run to secure the home court victory.

Senior forward Josh Fleming paced the Bulldogs with 15 points, including 10 in the first half of play on the Bulldog side. He was the lone FSU player to reach double-figure scoring in the contest.

The Bulldogs, who played all 13 players in uniform, also received nine points each from Noah King and Drew Cushingberry with six points by guard Quentin Ruff and five from freshman Cole Walker.

Ferris State shot only 35.2% from the floor, but connected on 10-of-28 (35.7%) three-point tries and hit nine-of-16 (56.3%) free throws.

Meanwhile, the Spartans shot 56.5% overall and connected on nine-of-21 (42.9%) three's along with 14-of-22 (63.6%) tries from the charity stripe.

Bryn Forbes led Michigan State with a game-high 16 points while Valentine tallied 15 points, seven rebounds and seven assists in the winning effort. Gavin Schilling added 12 points and five boards off the bench for MSU, which reached the NCAA Final Four a year ago.

Michigan State held a decisive edge in points off turnovers by a 24-6 count as FSU finished with 15 miscues and the Spartans had only 10. The Bulldogs were also outscored 50-14 in the paint and 20-4 in fast break production.

Overall, Michigan State grabbed 42 rebounds compared to 29 for Ferris State and came up with eight steals to the Bulldogs' five overall. FSU netted 15 assists and four blocked shots with the Spartans managing 29 assists and five blocks in the game.

The exhibition tilt was the last of three preseason outings for the Bulldogs and marked FSU's first matchup against the Spartans in East Lansing since 2011.

Ferris State opens the 2015-16 season on Saturday (Nov. 14) as FSU squares off against Missouri-St. Louis in the GLIAC/GLVC Classic hosted by Grand Valley State in Allendale. FSU then faces Quincy (Ill.) on Sunday to wrap up the event with both games beginning at 2 p.m. (ET).