Ferris State Opens League Homestand With Victory Over Saginaw Valley State

Postgame Highlights & Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - A balanced effort fueled the Ferris State University women's basketball squad to a 65-58 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home win over visiting Saginaw Valley State on Friday (Feb. 12) at FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs opened a three-game league home stand by earning the victory over SVSU to move to 4-8 overall and in league play. The two teams square off again on Saturday (Feb. 13) at 4 p.m. (ET) inside Wink Arena.

Ferris State fell behind 20-12 after the first period, but outscored the Cardinals 17-8 in the second quarter to take a one-point lead at the break. The lead grew to as many as 10 points in the second half and FSU ultimately ended up outscoring SVSU over each of the final three periods in the triumph.

Freshman DeShonna Day paced FSU with a team-high 14 points while adding four steals and three assists. She was one of three Bulldog players in double-figures with both junior forward Zoe Anderson and sophomore guard Mallory McCartney adding 10 points each.

Overall, a total of six Bulldogs tallied eight points or more in the win.

Ferris State shot only 35.6% overall, but the Bulldogs also forced 20 turnovers and outscored SVSU 17-13 in points off turnovers while recording eight steals and three blocks on the defensive end. FSU also made 15-of-23 (65.2%) free throws compared to only six-of-12 (50%) for Saginaw Valley State.

FSU went eight-of-28 (28.6%) from three-point range with SVSU going eight-of-26 (30.8%) from long distance. The Cardinals finished shooting 41.5% overall from the floor.

For SVSU, Maddie Maloney totaled a game-high 15 points and dished out six assists with Kaitlyn Zarycki notching a double-double with 14 points and 11 boards.

Ferris State compiled 16 assists on 21 baskets with McCartney netting a game-high seven helpers and she also played all 40 minutes. 

The Bulldogs will look for the weekend sweep on Saturday against the Cardinals. The game will be carried live by local flagship station Sunny 97.3 FM and the Bulldog Sports Network with online audio and video coverage at FerrisStateBulldogs.com. Pregame coverage begins at 3:30 p.m. (ET).