The Bulldogs walked away from Jim Wink Arena victorious in their final home game versus Wisconsin-Parkside.
The No. 24 ranked Ferris State men’s basketball team (23-6, 13-5 in GLIAC) defeated the Rangers (14-12, 11-7 in GLIAC) by a score of 69-60.
Ferris had the edge over Wisconsin-Parkside in every area. The Bulldogs shot 41.4% (12-29) from the field and shot 45.5% (5-11) from three. They held the Rangers to 37.5% (12-32) from the field, and 36.8% (7-19) from three.
Freshman guard Jaxson Whitaker was able to provide a spark for the offense in the first half. He scored twelve points by shooting 80% from three-point range (4-5). The Bulldogs took a 34-31 lead at halftime.
Senior forward Reece Hazleton finished the game with a season high 22 points. He shot 82% from the field and finished the game 9-11 from the floor while posting four rebounds and two assists. Hazleton was very pleased with how he and his teammates performed.
“It’s what you work for the entire time,” Hazleton said. “I’ve been here for five years now. Showing up in a big game like this is huge. My teammates played awesome tonight and it’s a team win. I’m glad to get another win, and we got a big one next Thursday.”
Ferris came out of the halftime with adjustments on the defensive end. They held Wisconsin-Parkside to 34.6% (9-26) from the field, and 23.1% (3-13) from three after allowing the Rangers to shot 37.5% and cash in nine threes in the first half.
Head coach Andy Bronkema was pleased with how the team took care of the basketball. In today’s game, the Bulldogs only had six turnovers resulting in just two points for Wisconsin-Parkside. In their previous matchup against the Rangers, Ferris had 14 giveaways.
“In any game, taking care of the basketball is very important,” Bronkema said. “As the games go on, we get better and players become more comfortable with each other. It is a really physical team, and they packed it in on defense very well.”
The Bulldogs will conclude the regular season with two road games. They will take on Wayne State on Thursday, Feb. 27 at 7:30 p.m. and then end the regular season at Saginaw Valley State on Saturday, March 1 at 3 p.m.