Ferris State Comes Up Short In GLIAC Women's Battle Against Findlay

Game Highlights

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad battled the University of Findlay Oilers much of the way before dropping a 80-67 decision in their first action of the New Year on Saturday (Jan. 2) afternoon inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs, who played their first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home game of the year inside Wink Arena, trailed only 15-12 at the end of the first quarter before falling behind by eight points at the break.

A big third quarter gave Findlay a 13-point lead following three quarters of action before FSU chipped the advantage back to single digits in the fourth frame. However, the Oilers and Bulldogs ended up scoring 22 points each in the final period as Findlay preserved the win.

The Oilers moved to 10-1 overall and a perfect 5-0 in the GLIAC by beating the Bulldogs, who had won their last two conference encounters heading into the first matchup of the 2016 calendar year.

Turnovers hampered the Bulldogs as FSU finished with 25 miscues on the day to only 17 for the Oilers, leading to a decisive 35-19 margin in points off turnovers for UF.

Ferris State, though, did remain within striking distance as FSU shot 50% from the floor and outrebounded the Oilers 31-26 for the afternoon. FSU hit six-of-17 (35.3%) three's and made 17-of-24 (70.8%) free throws.

Defensively, FSU limited Findlay to 46.7% shooting with UF making eight-of-18 (44.4%) three's and 16-of-17 (94.1%) tries from the charity stripe.

Sophomore center Rachel McInerney had a strong afternoon for FSU with a team-best 16 points to go with seven rebounds and two blocked shots.

Meanwhile, FSU's Alexis Huntey performed well in only her third regular-season collegiate game by scoring 12 points with 11 rebounds in a double-double effort. She added a game-high six assists to go with a blocked shot and a steal while making three triples in the game.

Besides McInerney and Huntey, FSU also received 12 points from junior guard Emily Evans, who came on late and hit five-of-nine field goals for the game. Junior forward Joslyn Nicholson added nine points and junior guard Hannah Evo totaled seven points in the setback.

Findlay was led by Haley Horstman, who totaled a game-high 17 points. Margaret Wuebker contributed 14 points and Kelsey Lewis scored 11 points inside for Findlay, which won its seventh-straight game overall.

Ferris State netted 18 assists, five steals and four blocks in the game compared to Findlay's 21 assists, 10 steals and two swats. FSU outscored UF 12-3 in second chance production.

The Bulldogs will wrap up their weekend league homestand by hosting Wayne State on Sunday at 1 p.m. (ET) inside Wink Arena. Tickets will be sold at the door starting one hour prior to tipoff and the broadcast can be heard live on Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network online at FerrisStateBulldogs.com.