Big Start Leads Ferris State Past Tiffin In Decisive Home & League Opener At Wink Arena

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad found the home court to its liking as the Bulldogs rolled past visiting Tiffin 77-51 in their 2014-15 home and Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) opener on Sunday (Nov. 30) at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs scored the first seven points of the day and led by as many as 29 points in the first half before cruising to the decisive win to move to 3-1 overall and 1-0 in the GLIAC.

The two teams were playing the first league game of any school in the conference and FSU dominated play in the opening half by limiting Tiffin to only 17.2% (5-29) shooting. Meanwhile, the Bulldogs shot 54.3% (19-35) from the floor in the initial half of action.

Ferris State held a 51-24 lead at halftime and never trailed in the contest as the Dragons dropped to 0-4 overall and 0-1 in league play this year.

After trailing by 27 at the break, Tiffin scored the first six points of the second frame to pull within 21, but the Bulldogs eventually jumped the lead up to as many as 29 points again in the second frame to earn the triumph.

A balanced Bulldog lineup was led by sophomore guard Ally Christman, who netted a game-high 14 points. Junior guard Katie Mavis chipped in 13 points while senior forward Ashley Rando scored 12 points and junior guard Destiney Robinson netted 11 points.

Ferris State finished shooting at a 43.3% shooting clip while hitting seven-of-24 (29.2%) three's and 12-of-14 (85.7%) free throws.

TU, which was led by Trischa Lacy's team-high 13 points, shot 25.9% overall after climbing to 34.5% in the final half. The Dragons were only two-of-23 (8.7%) beyond the three-point arc and 19-of-27 (70.4%) at the stripe.

Ferris State owned a 46-40 rebounding edge on the strength of eight rebounds apiece from junior center Christina Branch and senior center Hannah Hoffman. Freshman Rachel McInerney added seven boards in the victory to go with six points for FSU while senior Heidi Highstreet totaled eight points and five boards.

The Bulldogs used the defensive pressure to force 22 turnovers, but also had 20 of their own. FSU netted 11 steals, including four by Mavis and three from Christman.

In addition, Branch tallied four blocked shots as FSU came up with six on the day to none for the Dragons. Tiffin finished with nine steals.

Ferris State distributed the ball well with 21 assists and was led by Rando and Robinson with four helpers each. Junior guard Dena Droste dished out three assists while senior forward Kara Hess had two. Tiffin netted 11 assists overall, including four by Hannah Stephenson.

Along with Lacy's team-high 13 points, Tiffin also received 11 points from Bre Nauman, who came in averaging more than 17 points per outing.

Overall, Ferris State outscored TU 34-18 in the paint and 15-0 in fast break production while totaling 21 points off turnovers to 20 for the Dragons. Tiffin did own a slim 12-8 margin in second chance scoring on the strength of 15 offensive caroms to 14 for FSU.

The Bulldogs never trailed in the contest in winning their home opener.

Ferris State will hit the road for two league games this coming week. FSU visits Lake Erie on Thursday, Dec. 4, for a 5:30 p.m. (ET) GLIAC contest in Painesville, Ohio. The Bulldogs then head to Ashland for a 1 p.m. (ET) afternoon outing on Saturday, Dec. 6, at Kates Gymnasium in Ashland, Ohio.