#4 Ferris State Stays Perfect In GLIAC Play With Victory Over SVSU To Begin Homestand

Postgame Highlights & Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The nation's fourth-ranked Ferris State University men's basketball squad started the New Year right off where they ended the past year, scoring a 83-72 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) win over visiting Saginaw Valley State on Thursday (Jan. 4) night inside Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs pushed their record to 13-1 overall this year and stayed unbeaten at 3-0 in conference play, kicking off the second half of the season with the home win to begin a four-game league homestead.

Ferris State took an early lead and led by as many as 15 points in the opening frame before SVSU pulled within 39-28 at halftime. The Cardinals eventually cut the margin to two points in the second half, but the Bulldogs made several critical plays down the stretch and took control to come away with the win.

Senior forward Reece Hazelton gave the Bulldogs a team-best 16 points on seven-of-10 shooting, including two-of-three from long range. He was joined in double-figures by junior guard Tyler Hamilton with 15 points and Donovan Brown-Boyd, who had 14 points and went four-of-five behind the three-point arc.

The Bulldogs shot 47% from the floor and finished 11-of-28 (39.3%) from three-point land along with 10-of-16 (62.5%) at the free throw line.

Defensively, FSU held Saginaw Valley State to 36.8% shooting with SVSU netting 10-of-34 (29.4%) from deep and 12-of-14 (85.7%) at the stripe.

The Cardinals were led by Toodles Seal with a game-high 23 points and 10 rebounds in a double-double effort. Elijah Mattingly added 12 points and Maurice Anderson scored 11 points.

Ferris State had only five turnovers in the contest while Saginaw Valley State finished with 15 turnovers, leading to a 19-7 margin for FSU in points off turnovers and a 21-14 edge in fast break production. The Bulldog bench also outscored the SVSU reserves by a 46-25 count.

A trio of Bulldogs each had a team-high six rebounds, including Hazelton along with senior guard Jimmy Scholler and junior Mykel Bingham. Scholler also handed out nine of FSU's 27 assists while Hamilton had five helpers in addition to a game-high three steals.

The Cardinals dropped to 5-6 overall and 1-2 in league play with the setback.

Ferris State will host Wayne State on Saturday (Jan. 4) afternoon with the conference tipoff set for 3 p.m. (ET) inside Wink Arena.