Ferris State Picks Up 14th Victory Of Year By Winning Exciting Road Contest

Midland, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad used a big start to the second half and held on down the stretch for an 83-76 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road win over the Northwood Timberwolves on Thursday (Jan. 21) night at Riepma Arena in Midland.

The Bulldogs trailed early by eight points in the high-scoring matchup between the two divisional rivals before coming back to grab a 38-37 lead at the break. In the second half, though, FSU jumped out to a double-digit advantage with a strong opening 10 minutes of play and held on down the stretch for the win.

With the victory, FSU moved to 14-3 overall and 8-3 in the GLIAC while staying a game behind GLIAC North Division leader Saginaw Valley State in the conference race.

Sophomore guard Drew Cushingberry tallied a game-high tying 18 points for the Bulldogs as he knocked down seven-of-nine field goals in the triumph. He was one of four FSU players in double-digits as senior forwards Josh Fleming and James Chappell both scored 11 points and sophomore forward Noah King tallied 10 off the bench in the balanced effort.

Their play helped offset an 18-point performance from talented Northwood guard Maurice Jones, who netted 18 points on 16 field goal tries and fouled out with five minutes to play. Jermaine Myers added 17 points, Dylan Langkabel totaled 15 points and Brad Schaub scored 11 for the Timberwolves, who fell to 10-7 overall and 6-5 in the GLIAC.

Ferris State shot 47.4% overall and made four three's along with 25-of-40 (62.5%) free throws, including several critical ones down the stretch as NU cut the margin to as few as five points in the final minute.

Defensively, the Bulldogs also held the Timberwolves to only 35.3% shooting with NU going nine-of-23 (39.1%) from three-point range and 19-of-20 (95%) at the line.

FSU also came up with 13 blocked shots, including six by redshirt freshman center Zach Hankins, who added five points and a game-high 11 rebounds off the bench. Senior center Jared Stolicker added three blocks while Fleming totaled two on the night.

Ferris State also benefited from seven steals while notching 11 assists compared to Northwood's four steals and 10 assists. FSU finished with 14 turnovers and Northwood had 11 miscues in a game that featured seven lead changes.

The Bulldogs will continue their three-game road swing on Saturday (Jan. 23) as they visit Lake Superior State for a 3 p.m. (ET) league matchup Sault Ste. Marie. The two teams are presently tied for second place overall in the division and squared off four times a year ago, including both the GLIAC Tournament Championship game and the opening round of the NCAA Tournament.