As the second semester gets underway, fans have begun to file into Wink Arena to watch Bulldog Basketball. While fans have had a winter break, the Ferris men’s and women’s basketball teams have continued with competition through the holidays. To catch up on all the action, here’s a rundown of all the contests you may have missed:
Dec. 30: Ferris men suffer setback to Lewis
In what would be their final game of 2021, the Bulldogs fell to the hosting Flyers by a final score of 90-85. Despite trailing by 26 points early in the second half, the Bulldogs nearly completed the comeback behind 60% shooting from three-point range. Ben Davidson led Ferris with 25 points and eight rebounds off the bench. Jimmy Scholler also added three assists.
Dec. 31: Ferris State slips in regional matchup with Indianapolis
After starting the year 10-1, the women’s squad’s ten-game winning streak was snapped by the Greyhounds 78-66. The game was close to even throughout the majority of the contest, but a hot fourth quarter from Indianapolis gave Ferris their second loss of the season. Chloe Idoni finished top for Ferris with 17 points and eight rebounds, while Mallory McCartney had a team-high three assists.
Jan. 2: Men’s fall in 2OT thriller to Minnesota Duluth
Following a pair of cancelled contests due to opposing teams’ COVID breakouts, the team took to Twitter to find an opponent for their first game of the new year. Minnesota Duluth accepted the invitation to play what would be one of the best DII games of the season so far. Despite outrebounding the opposing Minnesota Duluth 54-45, Ferris fell to the current #5 ranked team 109-107 in double overtime. Walt Kelser led the team with 37 points, with Logan Ryan adding nine rebounds and Scholler tallying eight assists.
Jan. 6: Women’s squad drops GLIAC opener to Wayne State
The Bulldogs started off the new year on the wrong foot with a 60-45 home loss to the opposing Warriors. Ferris was outrebounded 50-29 in the contest as well as shot only 25% from the floor. McCartney led the team with 13 points. Ellie Dykstra and Kadyn Blanchard each totaled six rebounds with Zoe Anderson picking up four assists.
Jan 8: Bulldogs bounce back against Cardinals
With a chance to take the top spot in the conference standings, the women’s team was able earn the #1 seat with a home victory against 9-2 Saginaw Valley by a score of 68-59. Despite trailing by eight after the third quarter, Ferris was able to come back using a 25-8 run to close out the nine-point victory. Blanchard paced the game with 25 points. Mya Hirim added 14 rebounds and McCartney distributed five assists.
Jan 8: Ferris holds on to beat Saginaw Valley
In their first conference contest of the season, the Bulldogs used a scorching second half of scoring to defeat the Cardinals 88-84. After beginning the contest shooting 43.2% in the opening half, the men’s squad bounced back with a 64% second half effort to take down the nine-win Cardinals. Ferris was led by Lee Higgins scoring 24 points, with senior Dorian Aluyi totaling 13 rebounds and Scholler adding six assists.
Jan 10: ‘Dawgs pound Wayne State
After what was original scheduled a Jan. 6 contest, the game was pushed back four days due to COVID protocols within the Wayne State program. Despite the scheduling shift, the Bulldogs used 44 points off the bench to beat the opposing Warriors 104-73. Aluyi and Kelser both finished with 15 points, with Reece Hazelton and Logan Ryan adding seven rebounds apiece. Freshman Ethan Erickson also contributed six assists.
Jan 13: Women’s basketball suffers setback to Grand Valley
Ferris fell on the road to the rival Lakers last Thursday 67-59 despite a cutting a 12-point halftime deficit to only five in the final three minutes. The Bulldogs struggled at the free throw line, finishing only 1-8 compared to Grand Valley’s 11-16. Adrienne Anderson notched her 1,000th career point at Ferris with an 18-point performance to lead the ‘Dawgs. Hirim added seven rebounds and McCartney tallied five assists.
Jan 13: Men’s team tops rival Grand Valley on the road
In a close contest tallying over 16 lead changes, the ‘Dawgs prevailed in the end over GVSU by a final score of 83-76. Ferris State collected their third straight and seventh overall conference victory by holding the Laker offense to only 30% shooting behind the arc. Aluyi led the team with 23 points and four assists while Kelser added nine rebounds.
Jan 16: ‘Dawgs down Davenport
After a tough loss to Grand Valley on Thursday, the women’s squad was able to beat the other Grand Rapids GLIAC foe with a 72-55 win over Davenport Saturday. The Bulldogs used a dominating performance inside the paint, outscoring the Panthers 38-16 in the key. Ferris State was led in scoring by Hirim with 15 points off the bench, with McCartney adding a team-high 10 rebounds and six assists.
Both teams currently sit in the top four in the GLIAC standings, with the men in 1st at 7-0 (12-3 overall) and the women in 4th at 6-2 (12-4) overall. Each team will look to earn their 13th win on Thursday to face the Lake Superior State Lakers at home. Tip-off for the women’s game will be at 5:30pm with the men’s following at 7:30pm. For tickets and more information, visit www.ferrisstatebulldogs.com.