2017 GLIAC Men's Basketball Tournament Central
Information courtesy of GLIAC member athletic communications offices
BAY CITY, Mich. -- It was a wild night of action on Tuesday in the quarterfinal round of the 2017 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Men's Basketball Tournament. In the end, only one lower-seeded team prevailed in the four contests and top-seed Ferris State came from behind for the victory and hosting duties this upcoming weekend.
No. 1 Ferris State 87, No. 8 Hillsdale 84 -- BOX SCORE
The eighth-seeded Chargers had the jump in the first half, rushing ahead to a 47-34 haltime lead. Hillsdale shot a white-hot 75 percent from the field in the opening frame. Ferris State roared back with two long second-half runs and had a 53-37 points advantage in the second half. While the Chargers led by as many as 15, the Bulldogs closed the gap and took a late lead.
With the Bulldogs ahead 84-81, the Chargers hit a late three with just under five seconds to play to tie the game. Cushingberry rushed down the floor and drew a three-point foul with just over a second to go and hit all three shots for the win.
No. 2 Findlay 67, No. 7 Grand Valley State 59 -- BOX SCORE
Grand Valley State gained a three-point edge at the break before Findlay pulled out the victory in the final minutes of the contest in a back-and-forth battle. The Oilers only shot 39.7 percent (23-of-58) from the floor in the game, but made 14-of-19 (73.7%) of their attempts from the free throw line. The Lakers meanwhile shot 43.4 percent (23-of-53) from the floor and turned the ball over 14 times in the game.
No. 6 Ashland 84, No. 3 Lake Superior State 81 -- BOX SORE
Both teams fired an identical 51.7 percent from the field in a tight battle featuring 11 lead changes and five ties before the road Eagles pulled out the victory in the UP. Senior guard Boo Osborne led Ashland with 22 points, while junior forward Marsalis Hamilton added 18 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field. Lake Superior State guard Akaemji Williams posted game highs with 26 points and 11 assists, while Carson Manger scored 19 points. The Eagles won twice at LSSU in 2016-17 after not winning there since Dec. 1, 2005.
No. 4 Michigan Tech 92, No. 5 Wayne State 84 -- BOX SCORE
Michigan Tech fired 75 percent in the second half as the Huskies led by as many as 19 points to advance to the semifinals. For the game, MTU shot 60.8 percent from the field, including 12-for-20 (60%) from beyond the arc. All five Tech starters gained double-digits in scoring paced by Kyle Monroe's 27 points on 10-for-16 shooting and 4-of-6 from distance, while senior Jordan Chartier went for 20 points on 6-of-8 shooting and six assists.
