BIG RAPIDS, Mich. -- The Wayne State University men's basketball team (2-7, 2-4 GLIAC) fell in a tightly contested game, 71-68, at Ferris State (10-2, 4-2 GLIAC) on Sunday afternoon. The two teams were tied at 27-27 after 20 minutes of action but FSU was three points better in the second half to secure the victory.
HOW IT HAPPENED- Ferris State began the contest with a 12-5 lead at the 14-minute mark of the first half with a layup from Josh Fleming. Sophomore
Ronald Booth (Detroit, Mich. / Consortium) trimmed the Bulldogs lead to six (17-11) after sinking two free throws after 11 minutes of action.
- FSU increased its lead to 11 (25-14) with a Noah King layup, before the Warriors went on a 13-2 run capped by a jumper from sophomore
Chuck Key (Detroit, Mich. / Cass Tech) to tie the game at 27-27 at the break.
- The Bulldogs took a four-point lead (31-27) all from Jared Stolicker to start the second half. Junior
Clark Bishop (Detroit, Mich. / Renaissance) connected on two free throws to push the Warriors ahead by two (33-31) at the 17-minute mark.
- After five minutes of play in the second half, Bishop drained a jumper to tie the score at 35-35. FSU regained the lead (39-35) after four points scored from Peter Firlik. Junior
Michael Lewis (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Huron) tied the game at 41 with a bucket at the 12-minute mark.
- The Bulldogs went on a 17-8 run over the next five minutes to take a seven-point lead (54-47). Sophomore
Marcus Moore (Lansing, Mich. / Waverly) drained a jumper to trim FSU's lead to two (62-60) with three minutes left to play. FSU held off a late charge by the Green & Gold to secure the victory.
WARRIOR PLAYER STATS- Junior
Joel Ndondo (Ajax, Ont.) recorded his first career double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds (both career-highs), while Booth added 13 points.
- Bishop scored 11 points and grabbed seven rebounds, along with dishing out a team-high four assists. Moore tallied 10 points, including going 2-for-3 from beyond the arc.
TEAM STATS RECAP- Wayne State shot 37 percent (23-of-62) from the floor, while Ferris State made 38 percent (22-of-57) of its shots. The Warriors drained 5-of-14 from beyond the arc, while the Bulldogs made four three-pointers in 18 attempts. WSU connected on 17-of-24 (70 percent) from the charity stripe, with FSU making 23-of-32 free throws (71 percent). Wayne State out-rebounded the Bulldogs, 43-41.
LEADING THE OPPOSITION - Stolicker led Ferris State with a double-double (22 points, 13 rebounds), including going 12-of-15 from the free throw line, while Drew Cushingberry totaled 13 points and Fleming added 11 points.
- James Chappell, Fleming and Stolicker swatted three shots away apiece.
UP NEXT- WSU will host Hillsdale in a GLIAC showdown on Jan. 7 inside the Matthaei. The contest is slated for 7:30 p.m and can be seen on Comcast 900.
