Ferris State Men's Basketball Wins Season Opener In Decisive Fashion At GLIAC/GLVC Challenge

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad opened the 2015-16 season in a big way as the Bulldogs rolled past Missouri-St. Louis 80-55 on Saturday (Nov. 14) in the season opener at the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge in Allendale.

The Bulldogs bolted out to a 41-18 halftime lead against the Tritons and outscored UMSL 39-37 in the second half to open the year with a 1-0 mark. The two teams had played a thrilling game a year ago during the first weekend of action in a contest decided in the Tritons' favor at the buzzer, but FSU pulled out the convincing win this year.

Senior center Jared Stolicker had a big afternoon for the Bulldogs with a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds in a double-double showing. He finished 11-of-18 from the floor and also came up with three blocked shots in the victory.

Along with Stolicker, sophomore guard Noah King added 15 points and knocked down three-of-five three's to help the Bulldog cause. Redshirt freshman Zach Hankins and senior forward James Chappell added seven points each while senior forward Josh Fleming scored six points as did sophomore newcomer Peter Firlik.

The Bulldogs connected on 32-of-68 (47.1%) field goals and made five-of-17 (29.4%) three's to go with 11-of-22 (50%) free throws. They limited UMSL to only 37.7% (20-53) shooting with the Tritons making six-of-12 (50%) three-point shots and nine-of-19 (47.4%) attempts from the charity stripe.

Behind Stolicker's 10 boards, the Bulldogs held a big advantage in rebounding by a 50-29 count. FSU came up with 19 offensive rebounds, including six from Stolicker. Firlik added eight rebounds to help the FSU cause.

The Bulldogs also compiled eight steals and eight blocked shots to go with 16 assists. Sophomore guard Drew Cushingberry paced FSU with four assists.

Brandon Marquardt led Missouri-St. Louis with nine points while Cortez Conners and Joseph English both scored eight points apiece. The Tritons totaled 15 assists, four steals and four blocked shots.

Ferris State will wrap up the GLIAC/GLVC Challenge by facing Quincy (Ill.) on Sunday (Nov. 15) with tipoff set for 2 p.m. (ET) at the Grand Valley State Fieldhouse Arena in Allendale. The contest will be aired live on Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com starting with pregame coverage at 1:30 p.m. (ET).