Looking to make a return to the Midwest Regional, the Bulldogs had to get through the six-seed Roosevelt Lakers in the first round of the GLIAC Tournament.
The Bulldogs (19-10, 13-7 in GLIAC) took down the Lakers (12-14, 10-10 in GLIAC) at Jim Wink Arena by a score of 67-58.
Ferris was led by junior forward Mya Hiram who posted 22 points and eight rebounds, closely followed by junior guard Mia Riley who tallied 17 points, 11 rebounds, four assists and five steals in the outing.
Ferris started off slow, not scoring their first points of the game until the three-minute mark, alongside some struggles from beyond the arc. Ferris shot 2-11 from distance going into half, but they controlled the paint, with 24 of their 30 points coming from inside.
Senior guard Kenzie Bowers provided first half support, earning 10 of her 13 total points through the first 20 minutes.
Head coach Kurt Westendorp loved the physicality of the team today and how the team responded after not seeing the three-pointers fall.
“We did a good job of getting the ball inside to our post players,” Westendorp said. “They did a good job of getting in good position and scoring for us today. When our guards actually got down in the paint it really opened some things up for us.”
Ferris exited the first half with a slim two-point advantage.
The third quarter was back and forth until late in the third when the Bulldogs took the lead and never gave it up. The game was sealed late in the fourth quarter when Hiram threaded a pass between the legs of two Lakers players to Riley for a layup.
The Bulldogs now move on to the GLIAC Semifinals on Saturday, March 8 where they take on the two-seed Northern Michigan Wildcats.