Ferris State Earns GLIAC Rivalry Win Over GVSU To Move To 15-1 This Year

Postgame Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad, which is ranked among the nation's top five squads, started fast and finished strong in a 77-63 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home win over rival Grand Valley State on Thursday (Jan. 9) night inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs built a 16-point first half lead before the Lakers trimmed the deficit to 31-28 at halftime and eventually took the lead in the second half. However, Ferris State responded and outscored GVSU 46-35 over the final 20 minutes to come away with the win.

Ferris State took over sole possession of first place in the GLIAC standings with the win as FSU improved to 15-1 overall and 5-0 in conference play.

Senior guard Ethan Erickson led the Bulldogs with a game-high 19 points, which included a trio of three's and a six-of-six effort at the free throw line. Meanwhile, junior Mykel Bingham had a big night with 16 points and nine rebounds while junior center Nathan Claerbaut nearly had a triple-double with nine points, eight rebounds and eight blocked shots.

Additionally, senior forward Reece Hazelton tallied nine points with five assists in the victory and Tyler Hamilton totaled seven points while dishing out seven assists. Senior guard Jimmy Scholler had three steals in the victory.

Ferris State finished shooting 43.1% overall, but was limited to a six-of-25 (24.0%) effort from long range. The Bulldogs cashed in on 21-of-26 (80.8%) free throws.

On the glass, the Bulldogs recorded a 51-35 edge and FSU came up with 15 offensive boards, leading to a 17-14 margin in second chance production. The Bulldogs also posted 11 blocked shots with 20 assists and four steals.

On the opposite side, the Lakers were held to 30.0% shooting and GVSU was only six-of-29 (20.7%) behind the three-point stripe and 15-of-19 (78.9%) at the charity stripe. The Lakers did force 16 Bulldog turnovers and had only eight of their own for the game while also coming up with 11 steals.

Grand Valley State was led by Jalen Charity with 17 points and Mason Docks, who finished with 13 points in the game. GVSU fell to 6-7 overall and 2-3 in the GLIAC with the loss.

Ferris State will close out its four-game homestead on Saturday (Jan. 11) by hosting Davenport starting at 3 p.m. (ET) inside Wink Arena. FSU will hold a special "Banner Ceremony" prior to both the women's and men's games honoring the achievements from last season's regional championship and NCAA D2 Elite Eight squads.