Wayne State Holds Off Bulldogs In Tightly-Contested GLIAC Tilt At Wink Arena

Postgame Highlights 
Postgame Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball team fell short in their Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) battle against the Wayne State Warriors on Thursday (Jan. 4) night at FSU's Jim Wink Arena as the visitors pulled out a close 76-72 triumph.

The Bulldogs trailed by a single point at halftime, 38-37, but were outscored 20-13 by the Warriors in the third period as WSU seized control. The Bulldogs fought back down the stretch, however Wayne State held on for the win.

Ferris State's leading scorer was junior guard Alexis Bush with 22 points and five assists. Sophomore forward Lilly George added 14 points and senior guard Leah Humes chipped in 12 points in the setback.

In addition, senior forward Rachel McInerney tallied 10 points in the game and racked up 13 rebounds while garnering yet another double-double performance.

Wayne State led by as many as 13 points with 8:41 remaining before the Bulldogs trimmed the deficit back to striking distance in the closing minutes.

Ferris State shot 35.7% for the game and made nine-of-24 (37.5%) three's and hit 100% (13-13) from the free throw stripe.

Meanwhile, Wayne State converted at a 42% clip and went seven-of-22 (31.8%) from long range and 11-of-16 (68.8%) at the line.

The Warriors were led by standout guard Nastassja Chambers, who had 26 points in the victory. Teammate Shannon Wilson had 14 points and guard Ja'Nae Williams finished with 13 points overall. Both Chambers and Williams also notched double-doubles with 13 and 10 rebounds, respectively.

Wayne State outrebounded FSU 44-42 for the game and both teams finished with 11 offensive caroms, but WSU held a 19-6 difference in second chance scoring. They also outscored the Bulldogs 24-10 on the break and 42-22 inside the paint.

Overall, Ferris State had 14 turnovers compared to 15 for the Warriors in the game that featured seven lead changes. FSU finished with 17 assists, eight blocked shots and seven steals with Wayne State garnering 18 assists, nine steals and four swats at the hoop.

With the setback, the Bulldogs dropped to 8-6 overall and 2-4 in the GLIAC. WSU improved to 8-4 on the year and evened its GLIAC record at 3-3 to date.

The Bulldogs will visit the Davenport Panthers for the first-time ever on Saturday (Jan. 6) with tipoff set for 1 p.m. (ET) in Caledonia.