Ferris State Captures 2016 GLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Title; Back-to-Back Tournament Championships
ASHLAND, Ohio - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad capped a second consecutive run thru the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament as the Bulldogs repeated as back-to-back league tourney champions with an impressive 76-59 triumph over Walsh in the title game on Sunday in Ashland, Ohio.
The Bulldogs defended their league tourney crown by capping a three-game sweep in postseason play to win their third-ever GLIAC Tournament Championship and earn the conference's automatic bid into the NCAA Division II Tournament.
FSU shot 53% overall for the game, including a 62% figure in the second half. The Bulldogs hit five-of-15 three's (33%) and went seven-of-13 (54%) at the line. Meanwhile, Walsh made 12-of-31 (38.7%) three's and connected on only five-of-12 (41.7%) free throws as the two teams squared off for the second-straight year in the league tourney. (Courtesy of Rob Bentley, Ferris State Assistant Athletic Director for Communications)
GLIAC TOURNAMENT ONLINE STORE
2016 GLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament
QUARTERFINALS (Tuesday, March 1) at campus sites
Game 1 (8:00 PM): No. 8 Walsh 91 def. No. 1 Saginaw Valley 85 - BOX SCORE
Game 2 (7:00 PM): No. 5 Hillsdale 97 def. No. 4 Lake Superior State 73 - BOX SCORE
Game 3 (7:00 PM): No. 6 Ferris State 62 def. No. 3 Findlay 61 - BOX SCORE
Game 4 (7:30 PM): No. 2 Ashland 67 def. No. 7 Grand Valley State 58 - BOX SCORE
SEMIFINALS (Saturday, March 5) hosted by Ashland University
Game 5: No. 6 Ferris State 67 def. No. 2 Ashland 52 - BOX SCORE | VIDEO
Notes: After facing a slight three-point deficit, Ferris State outscored Ashland 39-21 in the second holding the Eagles to 24 percent shooting in the process en route to the upset victory on AU's home floor. The Bulldogs outrebounded Ashland by a 42-29 margin and produced 21 bench points. Drew Cushingberry paced a balanced attack from FSU with 14 points, while James Chappell and Quentin Ruff recorded 11 points a piece.
Game 6: No. 8 Walsh 98 def. No. 5 Hillsdale 69 - BOX SCORE | VIDEO
Notes: The Walsh Cavaliers hit 17 three points and shot 62 percent from the field on their way to taking the No. 8 seed all the way to the tournament title game in dominant fashion. Zac Carter led the Cavs with 28 points on 11-of-13 shooting and six assists, while Trey Fletcher added 25 points and 12 rebounds. After Jesse Hardin Jr. only posted three points in the first 20 minutes, the senior exploded and finished with 24 points on 8-of-12 shooting from beyond the arc to tie the GLIAC Tournament record with 15 triples throughout this year's tournament.
FINALS (Sunday, March 6) hosted by Ashland University
No. 6 Ferris State 76 def. No. 8 Walsh 59 - BOX SCORE | VIDEO | FSU RECAP
Notes: Ferris State entered the 2016 GLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament riding a four-game losing streak. Three games later they are hoisting their second consecutive conference tournament title and third in program history. After another hot start for Walsh to give the Cavaliers an 8-point lead, the Bulldogs played pressure defense on the perimeter and threw Walsh out of rhythm and came back to lead by six at the break. FSU shot 53.3 percent from the field and outrebounded Walsh 39-29. Ferris State used their size to gain an astonishing 42-6 points in the paint advantage, including a 35-4 bench points edge. Coach Andy Bronkema's Bulldogs were extremely balanced on offense with eight players producing at least six points or more with Quentin Ruff leading the squad with 12 points off the bench.
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2016 GLIAC Men's Basketball All-Tournament Team
Most Valuable Player: Jared Stolicker - Ferris State
Quentin Ruff - Ferris State
Drew Cushingberry - Ferris State
Jesse Hardin Jr. - Walsh (set GLIAC Tournament record with 20 triples in series)
Zac Carter - Walsh
Adrian Cook - Ashland
Kyle Cooper - Hillsdale
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OTHER: REGION RANKINGS | GLVC TOURNAMENT | SELECTION SHOW
The 2016 NCAA Division II Men's Basketball Tournament Selection Show will take place this Sunday, March 6th at 10:30 PM on NCAA.com.