The No. 7 ranked Ferris State women’s basketball pushed their win streak to seven games with wins over the Wayne State Warriors on Thursday, Jan. 25 and a narrow win against the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on Saturday, Jan. 27.
Ferris has not lost a game since their 61-56 loss to Daeman on Jan. 3. Since then, the Bulldogs have a point differential of plus 155 in their last seven games.
Ferris (14-2, 8-1 in GLIAC) traveled to Detroit, collecting an 80-46 steamrolling of the Warriors (11-6, 4-4 in GLIAC). A smothering defense has been the identity of this team, holding opponents to under 60 points on six different occasions this season. Former GLIAC defensive player of the year DeShonna Day thinks practice and individual player scouting have been the reason for the team’s success on that side of the floor.
“This year, we have worked on defense a lot more in practice than last year,” Day said. “Our help defense has been very active this year as well, we game plan really well and pay attention to detail. This year we have done a better job at knowing the players and that just comes from paying attention to detail and knowing your scout like the back of your hand.”
Day currently shoots three-pointers above 31% on the season while collecting two defensive stops against Wayne State, as she had a block and a steal.
The Bulldogs started the first quarter slow, then quickly took control of the game. Ferris took a 37-17 lead into the locker room at the half. Senior forward Chloe Idoni and senior center Amaka Unobagha combined for 19 points in the first half. After the break, the Bulldogs’ offense picked up where they left off, scoring 26 points in the third and then 17 in the fourth. Ferris’ defense held the Warriors to under 16 points in the last two quarters, helping the Bulldogs seal the 80-46 blowout.
Head coach Kurt Westendorp emphasized how important having fun is and how that leads to wins.
“They enjoy playing with each other, they have fun when they’re out there on the floor,” Westendorp said. “They don’t believe that anyone’s given them anything. Every game has that moment, every game has that opportunity that they can get to play basketball with their best friends for 40 minutes and compete. When you get people who just love to compete, they do a good job of not looking too far ahead or behind. They can just enjoy the day for what it is.”
The Bulldogs continued their win streak with a visit to Saginaw, where the team came away with a 59-57 victory over the Saginaw Valley Cardinals (6-13, 3-6 in GLIAC). Coming into the contest, the Bulldogs have not beaten Saginaw Valley on the road since Jan. 12, 2020. In a very defensive game, neither team was able to run away with the game, as the lead changed hands seven times and the game was tied nine times. At the end of the half, the Bulldogs trailed the Cardinals 29-26. The close game continued into the third and fourth period, which saw the Bulldogs outscore the Cardinals by one in the third and then by four in the final quarter. Junior guard Kadyn Blanchard led the Bulldogs in scoring with 21 points. The Freeland, Mich. native’s 21-point outing saw her break 1,000 points in her collegiate career.
Junior guard Kenzie Bowers attributes the extra energy the team has on the floor to the shorter practices.
“They are shorter than earlier in the season,” Bowers said. “These are the types of practices where we need to be locked in so we can get through things and move on to another. I think it has had a great impact come game time so that we can be a little fresh and bouncier. I think it helps our mental health also. At this point in the season, it always seems like there is so much going on. So it helps give us time to lock into the moment.”
Bowers had 11 points and two steals against Saginaw Valley.
The Bulldogs will return home for a two-game homestand against the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Feb. 1, followed by a contest against the Michigan Tech Huskies on Feb. 3. Both matches will be a rematch of the two Upper Peninsula teams they swept on Jan. 11