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Ferris defends their top spot in the GLIAC with a victory over the fourth-place Northern Michigan Wildcats.
The No. 8 ranked Ferris State men’s basketball team (18-2, 9-1 in the GLIAC) took Northern Michigan (12-4, 6-3 in the GLIAC) by a score of 85 to 79 to remain a perfect 12-0 at Jim Wink Arena.
The Bulldog defense was in full effect in the first half as they held the Wildcats to just 35.1% from the field (13-37) Their rim protection highlighted this defense as they totaled six blocks in the first 20 minutes of the game.
Head coach Andy Bronkema was pleased with his team’s defense on the interior.
“It all starts with communication and our guys on the back line talking,” Bronkema said. “Our guys came up with some big blocks today and they were amazing for us.”
The Bulldogs did not have the most efficient half from the field as they shot 44.8% from the field (13-29) and only 22% from three from a team that has sat around 38% through the first 19 games.
However, Ferris used a kickstart off their bench from junior point guard Tyler Hamilton as he tallied 11 of his 19 points in the first half.
Hamilton recognizes his role off of the bench and embraces it.
“A spark off the bench is what we need every time I come in the game,” Hamilton said. “I just want to put points on the board, get my teammates involved and get the ball moving.”
Ferris went into the second half with a three-point 37-34 lead.
The Bulldogs wasted no time in the second half, after an opening possession layup from Northern Michigan, Ferris answered with two straight three-point plays designed for senior guard Ethan Erickson that resulted in makes as the team went on to score eight unanswered.
The Wildcats were able to stay in the game by hitting their shots and the Bulldogs could never seem to put them away as the game saw eight ties and eight lead changes.
Ferris finally broke away at the three-minute mark and strung together buckets and stops on defense to ice the game.
The Bulldogs kept their turnovers in check with just five compared to Northern Michigan’s 10, but the Wildcats were able to make up for it by crashing the offensive glass, outrebounding the Bulldogs 13-4 on offense.
Ferris will look to extend its undefeated home winning streak against the Michigan Tech Huskies in what could be a battle for the top spot in the GLIAC on Saturday at 3 p.m.