For the first time in program history, Ferris women’s basketball has reached the DII NCAA Final Four and looks to advance to the National Championship.
The No. 3 seeded Bulldogs picked up a DII NCAA Elite Eight win versus the No. 6 seeded University of Tampa Spartans by a score of 60-53 on Monday, March 25 in St. Josephs, Mo.
Ferris controlled the entire game as they only trailed one time when the score was 2-0 in favor of the Spartans early in the first quarter.
The Bulldogs went into halftime up 30-24 and continued to dominate in the second half.
Ferris grabbed eight more rebounds than the Spartans, including a key eleven offensive rebounds to Tampa’s three.
The Bulldogs out-shot Tampa from beyond the arc, sinking twelve threes to the Spartans seven.
Senior forward Chloe Idoni led all teams in scoring with 27 points plus an impressive 4 of 6 from long range.
Senior guard and All-GLIAC first-team player Mallory McCartney would exit the game late in the third quarter with an ankle injury, but the Bulldogs were able to rally around the injury and secure the win.
“We are not a stranger to adversity; we have battled injuries the past few years,” Idoni said. “Obviously it’s unfortunate to lose Mallory but I am so proud of us for continuing to go on and win this and earn another 40 minutes.”
The Bulldogs Elite Eight bid also allowed the team to break a school record for wins in a season, as their victory over Grand Valley pushed them to 25 wins in the campaign.
Ferris finished second in the GLIAC during the regular season but fell in the semi-finals of the conference tournament to Northern Michigan. Despite not winning their conference tournament, the Bulldogs’ resume was good enough for an at-large bid and the No. 3 seed in the Midwest region of the DII NCAA tournament.
Ferris went undefeated in the Midwest region of the NCAA tournament with wins over the No. 6 seed Lewis Flyers by a score of 75-53 in the quarterfinals, a 64-59 win versus the No. 2 seed Ashland Eagles in the semi-finals and a 49-46 win over the No. 1 seed Grand Valley State Lakers on to advance to the Elite Eight.
The Bulldogs have been putting everything together at the right time, but head coach Kurt Westendorp believes their biggest strength has nothing to do with the basketball court.
“Our biggest strength is our intangibles,” Westendorp said. “When you get this deep in the tournament all of the teams are super talented, we have a very veteran group, a really tight group, and a super competitive group, I think all of those things motivate them to earn their next 40 minutes.”
This Ferris team holds a lot of experience, as every starter from their 17-12 squad from last year returned. The Bulldogs start all upperclassmen, including two fifth-year seniors.
Their experience has played a critical part in making this deep run.
Junior forward Kadyn Blanchard believes the Bulldogs’ veteran group has prepared them for similar situations.
“We have so much experience,” Blanchard said. “Myself, Mallory [McCartney], Chloe [Idoni] and DeShonna [Day] have been playing together for a long time, I think that experience leads to confidence and we are all confident.”
The Bulldogs have played a tough schedule this year, playing four NCAA tournament teams during the regular season.
In addition to playing four tournament teams during the regular season, Ferris also took down the No. 1 ranked team in DII on three separate occasions, Ashland twice and Grand Valley once.
Senior guard DeShonna Day credits the schedule for Ferris’ preparedness down the stretch.
“We play in one of the most dominant conferences and one of the best regions in the nation,” Day said. “Every team we play, plays a different way and that made us prepare because we have seen it all this season.”
Following their victory over the Lakers, the Ferris was re-seeded for the Elite Eight and were given another No. 3 seed.
The Bulldogs still view themselves as underdogs and are eager to exceed that status.
“We are fine with being the underdogs and still being the No. 3 seed in the tournament,” Blanchard said. “Being the three seed just makes us even more hungry to prove that we are the best team and can do it.”
Although Ferris has one of their most successful seasons in program history, the team is still hungry for more with three possible games left. Westendorp knows what it will take for the Bulldogs to advance to the Final Four.
“We have to play a great 40 minutes,” Westendorp said. “We want to stay in the moment as much as we possibly can, we want to own the moment and not let the moment own us.”
Ferris will face off against the winner of the Daemon College Wildcats and the Texas Women’s University Pioneers on Wednesday, March 27, at 7 p.m. in St. Joseph, Mo.