Coming off of their win at Lake Superior State, the Bulldogs returned home to try and add to their win streak against the Roosevelt Lakers.
However, Ferris (15-6, 9-3 in GLIAC) suffered a 73-83 loss behind 22 turnovers, while shooting just 26% (6-23) from three.
Junior forward Mya Hiram led the Bulldogs with 28 points, while three other Bulldogs tallied 11 points each. Yet, Roosevelt (7-11, 5-7 in GLIAC) had three different players score 20 points or more, including 27 points from senior guard Luka Malinka and a 20-point 11-rebound double-double from senior forward Jayla Turchin.
After starting the game with aggressive defense and a hot start from the field, Roosevelt fired up and ended the first quarter up 33-24. The Bulldogs continued to fight back in the second, taking a two-point lead with seven minutes to play, but the Lakers pulled out in front once more, ending the half up 42-38. Ferris went into the locker room shooting 46% (17-37), while Roosevelt shot 44% (14-32) from the field.
The same continued in the second half, as the Bulldogs kept pace with the Lakers. In the final minutes, a few key misses let Roosevelt jump in front to seal the game. Ferris ended the outing shooting 49% (32-66) from the field compared to the Lakers 43% (30-70). The story of the game was turnovers, with the Bulldogs turning the ball over 22 times, while Roosevelt turned it over 16 times.
Head coach Kurt Westendorp talked about the turnovers that cost the Bulldogs the win.
“They got their hands on everything,” Westendorp said. “They forced us into 22 turnovers, so I give them a ton of credit. They’re the reason the scoreboard was the way it was. We average around 14 turnovers, so that’s eight opportunities to score that we did not have.”
The Bulldogs have gone 7-3 in the new year, and they start the final month of the regular season with a loss.
The Bulldogs will head to Davenport on Thursday, Feb. 6 to start a four-game road trip.