Bulldog Women Drop League Tilt To Visiting Warriors In Wink

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball team fought back from a double-digit deficit to pull within striking distance, but came out on the short end of a 81-68 decision in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division action on Thursday (Jan. 24) night at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs trailed by 15 points with 15:32 to play in the second half before pulling within three points at 65-62 with 5:30 remaining in the contest.  However, WSU responded by scoring four-straight points to push the lead back to seen and never trailed by less than five points the rest of the way.

The contest pitted two of the top three teams in the GLIAC North Division as FSU entered the game tied with Michigan Tech atop the standings and Wayne State only a half-game behind.  With the win, Wayne State improved to 11-5 overall and 9-3 in the league while FSU fell to 10-6 overall and 9-4 in conference action.  All three teams remain a game within each other in the division following Thursday's games.

Wayne State's Talisha Bridges keyed the Warriors' victory as she tallied a contest-best 31 points and came up with eight rebounds while making 14-of-21 shots from the floor.  Imari Redfield added 13 points for WSU in the victory.

Meanwhile, junior guard Sarah DeShone kept the game relatively close for the Bulldogs most of the way with a team-high 24 points in addition to three rebounds, three assists and three steals.  Senior guard Kylie Muntz added 21 points while hitting 12-of-14 free throws in her second consecutive 20-plus point performance.

The Bulldogs shot 38.6% overall, but made only two-of-17 (11.8%) three's.  FSU also gave up 23 offensive rebounds as the Warriors held a 53-28 margin on the glass and outscored the Bulldogs 23-4 in second chance points.

Wayne State finished shooting 45.1% for the night and was five-of-16 (31.3%) from three-point range.  They made 12-of-23 (52.2%) free throws compared to FSU's final 22-of-31 (71%) total.

The Bulldogs did force 18 Wayne State turnovers and owned a 22-10 edge in points off miscues with 14 turnovers of their own.  FSU also had eight steals with Wayne State totaling six in the game.

The Warriors grabbed a 38-29 lead at halftime and outscored FSU 43-39 the rest of the way. They never trailed in the victory.

Besides DeShone and Muntz, the Bulldogs also received eight points and a game-high six assists from redshirt freshman guard Kylie Muntz. Junior center Felicia Standley had three points, five rebounds and all three of the Bulldogs' blocked shots in the outing.

Prior to the setback, the Bulldogs had won 14 of the previous 17 matchups between the two teams and now lead the all-time series by a 34-27 count.  The two teams will meet again on Feb. 21 in Detroit.

Ferris State will attempt to get back on track as the Bulldogs visit Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, Jan. 26, for a 7 p.m. (ET) league encounter in University Center, Mich.  Saturday's game will not be aired on Sunny 97.3 FM due to Bulldog Hockey coverage, but can be heard online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.

FSU then returns home to host archrival Grand Valley State next Saturday, Feb. 2, in Wink Arena with tipoff set for 3 p.m. (ET).