Three-peat

Ferris men's basketball wins third straight GLIAC Tournament

 

Ferris senior guard Quentin Ruff was named the MVP of the tourney after leading the Bulldogs to their third straight GLIAC Tournament Championship with 28 points in an 80-79 win over Ashland. Photo by: Andrea Cordes | Photographer

The Bulldogs took the lead in the last minute to win their third straight Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) tournament title by routing Ashland 80-79 at home.

After a missed Eagle three-point shot, sophomore guard Drew Cushingberry lobbed a pass to sophomore forward Zach Hankins for the game winning score with 0:31 remaining. Ferris fended off a couple three-point shots and held on to victory.

Hankins put up 16 points and 12 rebounds while Cushingberry added 14 points as both earned all-GLIAC honors.

The Eagles made as many field goals as the Bulldogs with 18 fewer shots. However, senior guard Quentin Ruff shot out the lights hitting 7-of-13 shots from beyond the arc in a 28-point outing, solidifying his spot as the tournament MVP.

The Dawgs also dominated on the boards, out-rebounding Ashland 42-30. Ferris capitalized on 16 offensive rebounds with 18 second chance points.

With this win, the Bulldogs improve to 27-4 with at least a top-four seed in their future for the NCAA tournament. As of March 1, prior to the GLIAC tournament, Ferris was No. 2 in the Midwest Region. Three wins later, the Dawgs have positioned themselves for playoff success.

Seeding is still to be established for the NCAA tournament.