Cushingberry's Late Basket Lifts Ferris State To GLIAC Quarterfinal Win

Big Rapids, Mich. - A floater in the paint with less than a second to play from sophomore guard Drew Cushingberry lifted the Ferris State University men's basketball squad to a thrilling 62-61 upset over the Findlay Oilers in the quarterfinal-round of the 2016 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament on Tuesday (March 1) night at Croy Gymnasium in Findlay, Ohio.

The Bulldogs handed Findlay its first-ever GLIAC Tourney home loss inside Croy to keep their season alive as the defending tournament champions. With the triumph, FSU also won its 20th game of the campaign, marking the first time in which the Bulldogs have won 20 games or more in back-to-back seasons since the late 1980's.

With the win, FSU advances to the GLIAC Semifinals for the second-straight year and will face second-seeded Ashland on Saturday at AU's Kates Gymnasium in Ashland, Ohio. Game time is set for 4:30 p.m. (ET) with the second semifinal between fifth-seeded Hillsdale and eighth-seeded Ashland to follow. The title game is Sunday at 4 p.m. (ET).

Ferris State jumped out to a double-digit first half lead and held a 32-21 advantage at the break. However, UF came back and took the lead down the stretch before the Bulldogs got possession of the ball with an opportunity to play for the final shot.

With time ticking down, Cushingberry drove from the right wing toward the free throw line and his floater in the waning seconds took a bounce off the rim and came back thru, giving FSU the lead with seven-tenths of a second to play. A last chance opportunity by the Oilers resulted in a Bulldog steal as Ferris State preserved the win.

The Bulldogs snapped a five-game skid and beat Findlay for the second time this campaign while improving to 20-9 overall this year. UF fell to 20-8 this season and the win was an important one for the Bulldogs as both teams were also listed among the top eight in the most recent NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Rankings with the top eight earning national tourney bids at the end of the year.

Senior center Jared Stolicker paced the Bulldogs with a team-high 15 points and seven rebounds, but all nine FSU players who saw action scored in the balanced effort. Redshirt freshman center Zach Hankins added 10 points and five boards off the bench as the two big men helped FSU posted a 42-24 advantage inside the paint.

Ferris State shot 58% for the night and went three-of-11 (27.3%) from three-point range along with five-of-11 (45.5%) at the line. Meanwhile, UF was limited to 38% shooting and was five-of-20 (25%) from three-point land although the Oilers did sink all 12 of their free throws.

Findlay was led by talented All-GLIAC guard Martyce Kimbrough, who totaled a game-high 30 points and made all eight of his free throws. John Staley added 12 points, but Findlay did not have anyone else reach double figures.

FSU had 22 turnovers to 16 for Findlay, but still managed to outscore the Oilers 17-15 in points off turnovers. The Bulldogs netted 16 assists, nine steals and four blocks compared to 10 assists, 13 steals and no blocks for the Oilers.

Overall, the game featured nine lead changes and was tied seven times. The win was Ferris State's fourth-straight against Findlay and second-straight win inside Croy Gymnasium after the Bulldogs recorded their first-ever victory in the facility a year ago in regular-season play.

Ferris State, which is making its 16th GLIAC Tourney appearance, is seeking its third-straight league tournament crown. The Bulldogs have never won the event in back-to-back seasons.

Stay tuned to FerrisStateBulldogs.com for additional information as it becomes available!