After starting the month off on two big wins, with a 100-52 win over Purdue Northwest and an 82-69 win over Wisconsin-Parkside. The Ferris State women’s basketball team hit the road to take on the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals and the Lake Superior State Lakers.
The No.18-ranked Bulldogs (19-4, 12-2 in GLIAC) will first take on the Cardinals (5-17, 3-11 in GLIAC) in what will be the two teams’ second matchup in the last two weeks.
In their last matchup, the Bulldogs handily won by a score of 89-67, with senior guard Emma Schierbeek scoring a career-high 29 points on 7-14 from beyond the three-point line.
Schierbeek believes that they can repeat a victory against the Cardinals, but understands the difficulty with road matchups.
“I think our game plan will be similar to what we did our last game,” Schierbeek said. “Since they saw what we did last time, they will be making adjustments so we will have to adjust as well. We have struggled in the past to get a win at Saginaw, so we will have to bring lots of energy and make sure to stay sharp on the road.”
Saginaw Valley comes into the matchup 1-9 in their last 10 games. In those nine losses, they have allowed an average of 73.3 points per game and scored only 60 points per game. While the Bulldogs ride into the matchup on the complete opposite side, as they are 9-1 in their last 10 games.
Senior forward Mya Hiram believes this momentum they have will continue into the final month of the season.
“We are constantly learning and improving with each game and practice,” Hiram said. “I think having that confidence, but still staying hungry for more wins, is what is going to propel us far for this second half of conference play. I am extremely pleased with the way our team has been playing, with veteran players and younger players stepping up big.”
The Cardinals are led by a duo of junior forward Megan McCalla and senior guard Lydia Meredith. McCalla is averaging 13.9 points per game on 42.2% shooting, while Meredith is averaging 12 points per game on 37.4% shooting while averaging 6.7 rebounds per game.
One of Ferris State’s standout players would be senior guard Mia Riley, who is averaging 15.8 points per game on 43.5% shooting, while also averaging 5.1 rebounds per game and 2.1 steals per game. Another standout player would be Hiram, who is averaging 11.7 points per game on 51.5% shooting with 6.7 rebounds per game.
The second matchup of the week comes against the Lake Superior State Lakers (5-17, 2-12 in GLIAC). The Bulldogs currently have a 17 game winning streak against the Lakers, spanning back to the 2017-18 season and hold a 30-7 all time record against the Lakers.
Lake Superior is led by one of the better scorers in the GLIAC, that being senior forward Grace Bradford. Bradford is averaging 15.1 points per game on 44% shooting, 9.9 rebounds per game and 1.3 steals per game. While redshirt junior guard Dara Capaldi is just as good a scorer, averaging 12.1 points per game on 47% shooting and averaging 5.4 rebounds per game.
The Ferris State Bulldogs women’s basketball team will travel to take on the Saginaw Valley State Cardinals on Saturday, Feb. 14 at 1 p.m. and then they head north to Sault Ste. Marie to take on the Lake Superior State Lakers on Monday, Feb. 16 at 5:30 p.m.