Ferris State Posts Decisive Win Over League Leader Parkside In Saturday Tilt

Postgame Highlights & Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad made a statement on Saturday (Jan. 14), beating Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) leader Parkside in decisive fashion 93-71 inside Jim Wink Arena.

The Bulldogs stayed in the GLIAC race and capped an unbeaten weekend homestand by topping the Rangers in league play. FSU climbed to 13-5 overall and 4-3 in the league after handing the Rangers only their second conference loss.

FSU was led by sophomore standout Solomon Oraegbu as he finished with a game-high 28 points to go with four assists and two steals against his former school. Junior guard Ben Davidson added 18 points with sophomore Jimmy Scholler netting 17 points, eight rebounds and four assists.

The Bulldogs also got a double-double from junior Dolapo Olayinka, who came off the bench to score 14 points and pull down 10 reboudns in only his second game back from injury.

Ferris State jumped out to a 46-30 halftime lead thanks to a strong effort over the final 10 minutes and the Bulldogs increased the advantage early in the second half, shooting 63.3% over the final 20 minutes of action.

Overall, Ferris State shot 60.7% for the game and connected on six-of-13 (46.2%) three's along with 13-of-16 (81.3%) free throws. The Bulldogs also owned a 40-24 rebouding margin and came up with 10 offensive caroms, helping lead to a 16-10 advantage in second chance production.

Parkside, which was led by Rasheed Bello's 20 points, shot 43.1% overall and was only six-of-22 (27.3%) from long range along with 15-of-22 (68.2%) at the free throw line. Colin O'Rourke added 16 points for the Rangers and Jamir Simpson posted 12 points.

The Bulldogs led by as many as 26 points in the game and dished out 24 assists in the contest, including seven from Amari Lee. FSU also had four steals and four blocked shots while turning the ball over only eight times. Ferris State outscored Parkside 54-38 inside the paint and 22-13 on the break.

With the setback, the Rangers fell to 12-5 overall and 6-2 in the GLIAC.

Ferris State will hit the road for two contests next week, visiting Saginaw Valley State on Thursday (Jan. 18) evening for a league contest in University Center before facing Wayne State on Saturday (Jan. 20) in Detroit.