Ferris State men’s basketball defeats the longtime GLIAC rival Lake Superior State Lakers at Jim Wink Arena on Saturday, Jan. 6.
The Bulldogs (12-2, 2-1 in GLIAC) heading into the game were on a five-game winning streak and had reached the #15 ranking in the country by the NCAA while also ranking 10th in the nation in points per game. The Lakers (9-4, 1-2 in GLIAC) had the 10th-best defense in Division II by only allowing 64 points per game.
Head Coach Andy Bronkema credits the win to the resiliency of his players.
“Our strength is in our depth,” Bronkema said. “We were down at halftime so that can be really discouraging but we have so many guys that can step up and fix the mistakes. Five guys finish a game but there might be seven guys playing well for us so I’m really proud of that.”
In the first half, the Lakers stellar defense won out and they were able to create easy scoring opportunities as they shot 70% from the field in the first half which built a 47-36 lead over the Bulldogs. One of the team’s best defenders is junior guard Jimmy Scholler who shared his team’s frustrations in guarding the Lakers.
“It was a battle,” Scholar said. “We struggled to guard them in the first half and let a lot of very good shooters get open threes. We defended much better in the second half which allowed us to get out in transition and score some easier baskets.”
The second half was a different story as Ferris was able to erase the 11-point deficit in a matter of five minutes. The rest of the second half was back and forth but Ferris ended up building a six-point lead with only a couple minutes to go. The Bulldogs ended up winning 90-86 which is their eighth game scoring at least 90 points this season. Ferris had four players score in double figures which was led by graduate senior forward Dolapo Olayinka with a game-high 21 points.
With the win over Lake Superior State, Ferris finished the Christmas break 5-0. In that span, they defeated Ashland, Cedarville, Fanshawe and Kuyper. In all five games, the Bulldogs scored more than 90 points which continues their hot offensive start to the season and has made them the 10th highest-scoring team in all of Division II.
The break also featured some awards and a broken record. Ethan Erickson received GLIAC offensive player of the week after a 19-point performance against Ashland. Erickson didn’t stop there as he set a new school record with 11 three-pointers against Kuyper. In the same week, Scholler received GLIAC defensive player of the week after recording four steals and six defensive rebounds against Ashland.
Scholler prides himself on his ability to defend so getting acknowledged for his efforts was meaningful to him.
“Winning defensive player of the week is a nice award to receive as I pride myself on defense,” Scholler said. “My role is typically to guard the team’s best player so winning that award can be hard to receive.”
Ferris State has two games next week against two Upper Peninsula GLIAC teams. Bronkema shares why he is excited about the road trip up north.
“It’s a long trip that some people might complain about but I love playing up there,” Bronkema said. “They are hard places to play and I love the challenge of going against two quality opponents. The trip can also be a time for the guys to spend time together and make memories.”
The Bulldogs continue GLIAC play at Michigan Tech on Thursday, Jan. 11 and then travel to play Northern Michigan on Saturday, Jan. 13.