Ferris State Posts Second-Straight Double Digit Victory With GLIAC Road Triumph

Big Rapids, Mich. - For the second consecutive contest, the Ferris State University women's basketball squad jumped out to an early lead and posted a double-digit victory as FSU topped Hillsdale by a 69-49 count on Thursday (Feb. 19) night in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) play on the road.

The Bulldogs limited the host Chargers to only 14 points in the opening half and took a 15-point lead at the break before outscoring Hillsdale 40-35 over the final 20 minutes of action.

The win came on the heels of a 13-point victory last Saturday at Lake Superior State and lifted FSU to 11-12 overall and 9-11 in league competition. Hillsdale fell to 15-9 on the year and 11-9 in the GLIAC.

The Chargers cut the Bulldogs' halftime lead to eight points in the second half, but could get no closer as FSU answered each time en route to the 20-point triumph.

Junior guard Katie Mavis paced the Bulldogs with 21 points as she made eight-of-14 shots from the floor and also connected on four of her five free throw attempts.

In addition to Mavis' effort, the Bulldogs also received 14 points from sophomore guard Ally Christman while junior center Christina Branch chipped in with 13 points and a game-high 13 rebounds in a double-double performance.

Hillsdale was led by Morgan Blair with 17 points and Kadie Lowery netted 10 points, but no other Charger player reached double-digits in the loss.

Ferris State shot 43% for the game and was four-of-16 (25%) from beyond the three-point arc along with 15-of-19 (78.9%) at the line. Meanwhile, the Chargers hit on only 28.3% (17-60) of their field goals and were only three-of-17 (17.6%) behind the arc in addition to 12-of-21 (57%) at the stripe.

FSU was outrebounded 46-38 for the game, but still managed to outscore the hosts 15-12 in second chance production. FSU also forced 16 turnovers in comparison to only 14 of its own and held a 20-5 margin in points off miscues.

The Bulldogs also had success in the paint with a 36-22 edge and received 23 points off the bench to only 10 for the Chargers. Overall, Ferris State never trailed in the game and the lead never changed hands.

Ferris State will return home to Jim Wink Arena to play its final two games of the regular-season. FSU first hosts Saginaw Valley State on Saturday (Feb. 21) with the league tipoff set for 1 p.m. (ET) in Big Rapids.

Saturday's contest will mark "Upward Day" with all participants in the area's youth basketball program receiving free admission with their Upward ID cards.

Following Saturday's game, FSU then hosts archrival Grand Valley State in the  final regular-season contest on Thursday (Feb. 26) at 6 p.m. (ET) in Wink Arena. The game will mark Ferris State's annual "Senior Night" game and also serve as both Student-Athlete Night and the Faculty Appreciation contest.