#7 Ferris State Responds In Second Half For Big Home Win Over Northern Michigan

Postgame Highlights & Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The nation's seventh-ranked Ferris State Bulldogs battled back in the second half and came away with a 71-66 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home victory over Northern Michigan on Thursday (Feb. 1) evening inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs trailed by 14 points at halftime, but erased the deficit in the opening five minutes of the second half and outscored NMU 30-8 in the third quarter to grab the lead. From there, Ferris State held on for the win, improving to 15-2 overall this year.

The triumph was FSU's seventh-straight win and opened a stretch in which six of the Bulldogs' final nine regular-season outings are at home.

Ferris State got a game-high 25 points and seven rebounds from senior standout Chloe Idoni along with 15 second-half points by junior guard Kadyn Blanchard. Senior guard Mallory McCartney added 11 points and dished out nine of FSU's 23 assists in the game.

Ferris State shot 43.5% for the night, but heated up in the third period by making 12-of-19 (63.2%) shots in the frame to fuel the comeback. Overall, the Bulldogs went six-of-20 (30%) from long range and were a perfect 11-of-11 (100%) at the free throw line.

On the opposite end, the Bulldogs held Northern Michigan to a two-of-11 (18.2%) field goal figure in the third period. The Wildcats shot 42.4% overall and converted seven-of-21 (33.3%) three's to go with nine-of-13 (69.2%) free throws.

The Bulldogs out rebounded NMU 35-34 for the game and came away with eight offensive caroms. FSU also had six steals and five blocked shots while both teams netted nine turnovers.

Northern Michigan was led by Jacy Weisbrod with 17 points and Sarah Newcomer with 16 points. Makaylee Kuhn totaled 10 points and seven rebounds.

The Wildcats dropped to 12-7 overall and 6-4 in league play with the setback to FSU, which is now 9-1 overall and in first place in the GLIAC.

The Bulldogs will host Michigan Tech to close out the weekend on Saturday (Feb. 3) at Wink Arena. Tipoff is set for 1 p.m. (ET) and fans are encouraged to wear red for the annual "Red Out" game in support of women's heart health.