Ferris State Basketball Wins GLIAC Road Clash At Lake Superior State

Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad kept its momentum rolling as the Bulldogs pulled out an exciting 86-82 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road win over Lake Superior State on Saturday (Jan. 23) inside Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie.

The Bulldogs notched their fourth-straight victory in the fifth meeting between the two GLIAC North Division rivals in the past year to move into sole possession of second place in the divisional standings. The two teams had entered the game with idential league marks, only a game-back of GLIAC North leader Saginaw Valley State.

Ferris State led at halftime 42-39 after a back-and-fourth opening period and the Bulldogs eventually increased their advantage in the latter stages of the second frame. After pushing the edge to nine, though, LSSU fought back in the final minute to make it a three-point game with 5.9 seconds to go. Bulldog senior guard Jibreel Jackson hit a critical free throw to account for the final margin as FSU pulled out the win.

Sophomore guard Noah King paced FSU with a team-high 18 points, including 16 in the opening half of play. He was joined in double-figures by seniors Jared Stolicker and James Chappell with 15 points each along with sophomore guard Drew Cushingberry, who netted 10 points.

Stolicker added a game-best 10 rebounds in notching yet another double-double performance, which helped Ferris State own a 39-29 rebounding margin for the game. Chappell also added seven rebounds in the Bulldog lineup.

The Bulldogs shot 53.4% for the day and made nine-of-21 (42.9%) from downtown, including eight three's in the first half of play. Ferris State made 15-of-30 (50%) free throws as missed opportunities helped the Lakers climb back within a single possession in the final minute before Jackson's final make.

Defensively, the Bulldogs also limited LSSU to only 43% shooting from the floor with the Lakers making six-of-22 (27.3%) three's. They hit 26-of-29 (89.7%) tries from the charity stripe.

Talented guard Akaemji Williams paced Lake Superior State with a game-high 20 points in the contest, which was a rematch of both last year's GLIAC Tourney Championship game won by the Bulldogs at Cooper Gym and the first-round NCAA Tournament matchup claimed the Lakers in Louisville a year ago.

Along with Williams, the Lakers received 14 points from Jordan Dasuqi and 12 by Devin Daly along with Jacob Blake. LSSU forced 16 Bulldog turnovers and had only 12 of its own in the game.

Overall, Ferris State also tallied 15 assists along with eight steals and five blocked shots compared to LSSU's 16 assists, seven steals and two blocks.

The win was FSU's 15th of the year as the Bulldogs improved to 15-3 overall and 9-3 in the GLIAC to date this year. LSSU fell to 13-5 overall and 8-4 in conference play.

The Bulldogs will return to action as they wrap up a three-game road stretch at Hillsdale on Thursday, Jan. 28, starting at 8 p.m. (ET). FSU then returns home to host divisional leader Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, Jan. 30, at Wink Arena starting at 3 p.m. (ET).