After a weekend against Davenport and Grand Valley, the Ferris State women’s basketball team hosts Lake Superior State University and Saginaw Valley State University.
No.22-ranked Ferris State (12-4, 5-2 in GLIAC) comes into these matchups with a 4-1 record in January, including back-to-back wins in the Upper Peninsula with a 73-64 win at Michigan Tech followed by a 70-52 win at No.13-ranked Northern Michigan.
Senior guard Kadyn Blanchard is confident in where the team is at this point in the season.
“I feel like our team is a great spot at this point in the season,” Blanchard said. “No team wants to be peaking right now; we want that to be in March. Every day, I see growth from our team, and I’m really happy with the progress we have been making. Trying to see our growth on a day-to-day basis can be hard, but when I look back at all our preseason practices, it’s crazy to see how far we have come. I’m so proud of everyone, and I wouldn’t want to spend this last year with anyone else.”
The Bulldogs are led in scoring by Blanchard, who’s averaging 15.6 points per game on 45.1% shooting, as well as averaging 5.7 rebounds and 4.1 assists per game.
Blanchard is one of four players averaging ten points or more, including senior forward/center Mya Hiram, who’s averaging 11.6 points per game on 50.4% shooting while leading the team in rebounds with 6.5 per game.
Senior guard Emma Schierbeek leads the team in 3pt percentage with 40.3% from behind the arc.
Schierbeek talked about how she feels about the team going into these two games.
“I am feeling good about where our team is at this point in the season,” Schierbeek said. “We just came off two huge wins against Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan, which put us in a good spot. Getting two wins over LSSU and SVSU would also be huge for our team because they are scrappy teams, and any team can win on any given night, so we have to be confident in ourselves and each other to come out with wins against both opponents. I am looking forward to it, though.”
Lake Superior State (4-11, 1-6 in GLIAC) comes into this matchup with a 1-4 record in the new year, with the win being a 57-52 win at Roosevelt. Senior forward Grace Bradford leads Lake Superior with 14.5 points per game on 42.4% shooting, as well as 10.7 rebounds per game and 2.2 assists per game.
Saginaw Valley State (4-11, 2-5 in GLIAC) is also 1-4 in January, with the win, 91-79 at home versus Purdue Northwest. Junior forward Megan McCalla leads the team in scoring with 14.4 points per game on 45.0% from the field and 14.7% from three.
Hiram is confident in the team and where they’ll be in March.
“I’m very pleased with the way our team has been able to perform the last couple of weeks. After returning from Hawaii, where we dropped a game, I think we spent some time reflecting on what the end goal of this season is: a championship run in March,” Hiram said. “We are all confident in our capabilities, and I have no doubt that we will keep this adrenaline moving. I’m even more pleased with our recent trip to the UP & how we were able to overcome adversity & lock in as a team.”
The Bulldogs’ next games will both be at home at Wink Arena, hosting Wayne State on Saturday, January 31, at 1 pm and Purdue Northwest on February 2 at 5:30 pm.