DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's basketball team (1-4 overall, 1-0 GLIAC) began GLIAC play on Thursday night against Ferris State (5-4 overall, 0-1 GLIAC) and the Warriors thrilled the large crowd with a 90-89 triumph over the reigning Division II national champions.  The last time WSU beat FSU came on Jan. 30, 2014, a streak of six consecutive victories for the Bulldogs.  FSU had the ball with 12.8 seconds remaining in regulation, trailing by one but missed a last-second layup before a scramble for the rebound ensued as the clock hit zeros.

HOW IT HAPPENED
The Bulldogs started fast and led 10-2 at the 17:49 mark, forcing head coach David Greer to take an early timeout to slow FSU's momentum.  A three-point play from Karim Murray (Detroit, Mich. / Western International) pulled the Warriors within three at 10-7 with 16:50 remaining in the opening stanza.  Ferris State controlled the bulk of the next six minutes leading 29-13 after a Jaylin McFadden jumper.  The Green & Gold began to chip away at the visitors lead and a Murray lay-up trimmed the deficit to seven, 29-22, at the 7:15 mark.  Latin Davis, Jr. (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Milan) connected on one of two free throws before Javon Henderson (Detroit, Mich. / University Prep) cleaned the offensive glass, bringing WSU within six, 34-28, with 4:51 left in the half.  Four straight points from Murray cut FSU's lead to 34-32 at the 4:08 mark.  A desperation triple by Darian Owens-White (Ypsilanti, Mich. / River Rouge) to beat the shot clock with just under three minutes brought the home team within a point.  Ferris State led by four points with one minute left to play but an Xavier Cochran (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Huron) bucket made it 43-41 and a fast break conventional three-point play by Murray as the half ended gave WSU its first lead of the game, 44-43.

The Warriors seized the momentum to begin the second half and WSU led 49-45 at the 18:09 mark following a triple by Owens-White.  The home advantage grew to seven with a layup by Davis.  Wayne State led 58-49 after two points from Owens-White, and a bucket by Henderson gave WSU its largest lead of the night, 62-51, with 12:13 left to play.  A baseline dunk from Cochran ignited the packed house, giving the Warriors a 68-55 advantage at the 9:36 mark.  A 9-0 run by Ferris State trimmed the home lead to four, 68-64, at the eight-minute mark.  The Bulldogs would take a 72-71 lead with 6:04 remaining and pushed their lead to three after a layup by Carl Bow on the next possession.  Following another three-point play by Murray, Davis connected from behind the arc to give WSU a 77-75 lead at the 4:27 mark.  The contest was tied at 77-77, 79-79, 81-81 and 84-84 before WSU led 88-85 with 1:37 left to play.  Murray knocked down a 12-foot jumper at the 1:02 mark to give WSU a 90-87 advantage and FSU answered with a layup by Greg Williams with 48 seconds remaining.  Wayne State missed a jumper on its last possession and Ferris State took a timeout to draw up its final play.  D'angelo Hughes' lay-up attempt bounced out and neither side could control the rebound as time expired.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Murray and Owens-White both posted career-high of 23 points, while Davis had 17 and Cochran tallied 11.  Murray notched his second career double-double with a career-best 13 boards.

LEADING THE BULLDOGS
Five Bulldogs scored in double figures led by 16 points from Williams.  McFadden finished with 15, while Cole Walker had 12.  Hughes and Armani Tinsley contributed 12 points apiece.

TEAMS STATS
WSU shot 50.8 percent from the floor, while FSU finished at 42.9 percent.  The Warriors shot 59.3 percent in the second half.  The Green & Gold used 14 fast break points to supplement its offense.

UP NEXT
Wayne State continues the weekend home stand as Lake Superior State visits the Matthaei on Saturday afternoon.  Tip-off will follow the women's game at approximately 3:00 p.m.