Bulldogs upset defending national champs

The Ferris State men’s basketball team upset the Division II defending National Champion Findlay Oilers 86-77 on Saturday.

Bulldog junior center Justin Keenan scored a career-high 35 points on 13 of 19 shooting from the field. Keenan went 9 of 12 from the free-throw line as well. Keenan attributed his career-high to his teammates and the game plan.

“My teammates do a great job of moving and getting the ball inside when I’m open,” said Keenan.

Bulldog head coach Bill Sall said the defense played much better defense than on Thursday when the team allowed 96 points against Hillsdale. Sall also said the team played with more emotion and passion than in previous games.

“I’m proud of how we played,” said Sall, “If we play like that the rest of the way, we have a chance to be playing for a long time.”

Junior guard/forward Austin Randel added 16 points and six rebounds for Ferris as the team had four players in double figures. The Bulldogs shot 60 percent from the floor and made eight of 16 three-point shot attempts.

The Oilers were ranked 19th in the latest National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) Division II Coaches Poll. After a 13-game winning streak, Findlay lost to Grand Valley State and Ferris in back-to-back games.

The Bulldogs are 13-8 overall this season and 11-5 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletics Conference (GLIAC). Ferris is third in the GLIAC standings with six games left in the regular season.

The Bulldogs travel to the Upper Peninsula to battle Michigan Tech on Feb. 11 and Northern Michigan on Feb. 13. Ferris defeated both teams at home earlier this season.