Nationally-Ranked Bulldogs Pull Away Late For Road Triumph At Saginaw Valley State

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad pulled away down the stretch for a 82-71 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) road win over Saginaw Valley State on Thursday (Jan. 27) night inside O'Neill Arena in University Center.

The Bulldogs led most of the way and held a 33-26 halftime edge before finally pulling away for good late in the contest, moving to 15-3 overall and a perfect 10-0 in the GLIAC.

Ferris State shot 64% from the floor in the second half while making six-of-seven (85.7%) long range tries over the final 20 minutes to garner the road victory in the middle game of a three-game road stretch.

The Bulldogs were led by senior guard Lee Higgins' game-high 23 points. He finished seven-of-10 from the floor and knocked down a trio of three-pointers while sinking six-of-seven free throws.

Along with Higgins, senior guard Walt Kelser totaled 21 points for FSU with senior forward Dorian Aluyi notching a double-double with 14 points and 11 rebounds.

The Bulldogs outscored the Cardinals 36-32 inside the paint and made nine-of-21 (43%) three-point tries in the game in addition to shooting 50% from the floor for the contest.

Meanwhile, Saginaw Valley State was held to 38.6% shooting with SVSU making eight-of-25 (32%) three's and nine-of-18 (50%) free throws.

The Cardinals were paced by Delano Smith with 20 points. James Toohey hit four three's and finished with 14 points overall while Freddie McIntosh added 11 points.

With the setback, SVSU fell to 11-7 overall and 5-5 in GLIAC play.

Ferris State wraps up its three-game road stretch on Saturday (Jan. 29) as FSU visits Wayne State for a 3 p.m. (ET) league encounter in Detroit at the new Wayne State Fieldhouse in the Motor City.