It is not too often that the final eight minutes of one game defines an entire season.
For the Ferris State men’s basketball team, that’s exactly what the last 8:03 of the Bulldogs’ victory over the nationally No. 3-ranked Findlay Oilers did.
With a 64-60 lead in the second half, the Bulldogs made an 11-0 run to break the game open and secure an 84-66 upset win over the GLIAC South-leading Oilers.
Ferris trailed Findlay 25-11 midway through the first half, but outscored the Oilers 73-41 over the final 29 minutes of the contest.
Ferris claimed the GLIAC North title for the first time since the 2004-05 season with the victory. The Bulldogs also secured a home game in the GLIAC tournament quarterfinals.
Ferris is on a 12-game winning streak and remained undefeated at home with a perfect 12-0 record at Wink Arena. The Bulldogs are 20-5 overall and 16-2 in conference play this season.
The Bulldogs knocked off Wayne State, ranked sixth in the Midwest Region, 78-66 on Thursday.
The top eight teams in the regional rankings at the end of the season receive bids to the NCAA Division II Tournament. Prior to this week’s games, Ferris was ranked ninth in the Midwest Region.
With victories over Findlay, ranked third in the region, and Wayne State, it is likely the Bulldogs will move into the top eight when the new rankings are released on Wednesday.
Ferris can claim the No. 1 seed in the conference tournament and the outright GLIAC regular-season title with a win over Grand Valley State on Feb. 26. If the Bulldogs lose to the Lakers, they can still claim the No. 1 seed if Hillsdale loses one of its final two games.