#6 Ferris State Stuns #10 Lake Superior State In GLIAC Opener On Game-Winner From Ethan Erickson

Postgame Highlights & Interview - Coach Bronkema 
Game-Winning Shot By Ethan Erickson 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The nationally sixth-ranked Ferris State University men's basketball squad pulled off a legendary comeback performance led by senior guard Ethan Erickson to beat rival and 10th-ranked Lake Superior State on a game-winner in the closing seconds 83-81 on Tuesday (Dec. 3) evening inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

In the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opener for both teams, the Bulldogs fell behind by 15 points with 7:48 to go, but erased that deficit in a four-minute span, setting up a thrilling finish in the rematch of last year's NCAA Division II Midwest Region Championship Game won by Ferris State.

The two teams went back and forth down the stretch in yet another hard-fought matchup before the Bulldogs came up with a big defensive stop and had the final possession late in regulation. Following a timeout, Erickson came off a handoff and banked in a shot over two defenders from the left side of the floor as time ticked away, giving FSU its ninth-straight victory this year.

Erickson fueled the Bulldog comeback with a game-high 26 points, including several deep bombs that brought the crowd to life. He finished with five three's and went seven-of-seven from the free throw stripe as Ferris State improved to 9-1 overall this campaign.

The Bulldogs jumped out to a four-point lead in the opening minutes of the contest, but Lake Superior State came back to take a 43-37 halftime lead on a late three-point shot in the opening stanza. The Lakers controlled the scoreboard most of the second half, pushing the margin to as many as 15 points inside of eight minutes to go before the Bulldogs rallied.

Along with Erickson, the Bulldogs got 14 points, seven rebounds and seven blocked shots from junior center Nathan Claerbaut while senior forward Reece Hazelton notched a double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Junior Tyler Hamilton added 10 points and five assists with junior Mykel Bingham totaling seven points and seven rebounds. Additionally, senior Jimmy Scholler tallied six points, five rebounds and three assists.

The Bulldogs finished with a 46.3% shooting figure, including a 56% second-half effort. After going 0-of-11 from the three-point arc in the first half, the Bulldogs finished eight-of-24 (33.3%) as they shot 61.5% from deep on eight-of-13 shooting in the second half.

The contest featured a total of 51 fouls and 64 free throws in a physical affair with the Bulldogs making 25-of-31 (80.6%) tries at the charity stripe. LSSU converted 25-of-33 (75.8%) attempts at the foul line.

Defensively, the Bulldogs held Lake Superior State to 36.5% shooting for the evening with the Lakers sinking 10-of-26 (38.5%) from deep. FSU also outrebounded LSSU 43-36 for the game, but had 17 turnovers compared to nine for the guests. The Bulldogs finished with 10 blocked shots and dished out 17 assists.

Lake Superior State, which fell to 7-2 on the year, was paced by Devin Womack and Adam Harakow with 16 points each. Tyson Edmondson recorded 12 points and Hunter Soper contributed 111 points.

Overall, the game featured eight lead changes and the score was tied 10 times.

Ferris State will head to Chicago to face league newcomer Roosevelt University for the first time on Saturday (Dec. 7) with tipoff set for 4 p.m. (ET).