As their respective regular seasons come to an end, Ferris State men’s and women’s basketball teams close out their seasons on the road against Grand Valley State and Davenport.
The women’s team looks to continue its season-long momentum, while the men’s team tries to fight for a playoff spot.
Women
Ferris State (21-4, 14-2 in GLIAC) is on an eight-game win streak after its home loss to Grand Valley. The Bulldogs are averaging 79.8 points per game, as well as 39.6 rebounds and 18.8 assists per game. Four Bulldogs average ten points or more, with senior guard Mia Riley leading the team with 16.7% per game. Senior forward Mya Hiram leads the team in both rebounds per game with 6.8 and field goal percentage with 51.1% frm the field. Senior guard Emma Schierbeek leads the team in 3-point percentage with 40.0% from behind the arc.
Schierbeek knows these will be tough matchups at this point in the year.
on Feb. 21. Photo by: Clark Vance | Torch Photographer
“I think that these final two games of the regular season are going to be very important,” Schierbeek said. “Obviously, Grand Valley is going to be a huge game for us, and to come out with a win would be exactly what we need going into March. It is going to be a tough matchup for us, especially since they will be playing on their home court, but I know we have what it takes to get the win. Davenport will be another competitive game, but I know we can come up with a win there as well. We have been playing great basketball lately, but I think we are going to be even better once we start tournaments.”
Riley and senior guard Kadyn Blanchard are one and two in the GLIAC in scoring, averaging 16.7 and 16.4 per game, respectively.
Grand Valley (24-1, 16-1) is the third-best team in the nation, with its only loss being at Wayne State 78-77. The Lakers average 79.8 points per game, as well as 42.4 rebounds and 16.9 assists per game. Grand Valley has two players in double figures, with redshirt senior wing Paige VanStee leading the team with 15.7 points per game on 49.8% shooting.
VanStee also leads the Lakers in rebounds with 6.4 a game. Sophomore forward MacKenzie Bisballe leads both the Lakers and the GLIAC in field goal percentage with 53.7% from the field and blocked shots with 1.4 a game.
Davenport (7-18, 5-12 in GLIAC) is 1-4 in the month of February, with their one win in the month being 55-46 at Purdue Northwest. The Panthers are averaging 59.6 points per game, as well as 34.4 rebounds and 10.5 assists per game. Davenport has three players averaging ten points or more, with sophomore guard Maddie Gears and redshirt junior point guard Nevaeh Williams both averaging 11.8 points per game.
Grand Valley and Ferris State are first and second in the conference, respectively, and have both clinched a GLIAC tournament birth and home court advantage. Davenport is eighth in the conference and has yet to clinch either.
Men
The Bulldogs (10-13, 7-9 in GLIAC) are 1-4 in February, beating Saginaw Valley 75-69 in that span. Ferris State is averaging 77.3 points per game and is led in scoring by senior Mykel Bingham, who’s averaging 13.1 points per game, as well as 8.7 rebounds per game and in three-point percentage with 37.0% from deep. Bingham’s 8.7 rebounds a game lead the GLIAC.
Sophomore Tae Boyd knows these final games can make or break their season.
“These final games are extremely important and crucial for how we continue our season,” Boyd said.
Grand Valley (20-5, 13-4 in GLIAC) comes into the matchup with a 3-2 record in February. The Lakers average 77.8 points per game, 39.3 rebounds, and 11.4 assists per game. Grand Valley has four players averaging 10 points or more, being led in scoring by graduate forward Ethan Alderink’s 13.7 points per game.
The Panthers (13-12, 7-10 in GLIAC) beat Roosevelt 81-59 to be 1-4 in February. Davenport averages 74.4 points per game, 36.5 rebounds, and 15.0 assists per game. Davenport has three players averaging 10 points or more. The Panthers are led in scoring by junior guard Ken Walker, whose 21.6 points per game lead the GLIAC.
Grand Valley is third in the conference and has clinched both a GLIAC tournament birth and home court advantage. Ferris State and Davenport are seventh and eighth in the conference, respectively, and have yet to clinch a GLIAC tournament birth.
On Thursday, Feb. 26, Ferris State will play Grand Valley in Allendale, with the women playing at 5:30 p.m. and the men at 7:30 p.m. Then, on Saturday, Feb. 28, the Bulldogs will head to Davenport, where the women will play at 1 p.m. and the men at 3 p.m.