Ferris State's NCAA Tourney Run Ends In D2 Midwest Regional Semifinals

Postgame Interview - Coach Bronkema 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad had another great season end on Sunday (March 12) evening as the Bulldogs fell to Missouri-St. Louis by a 82-68 score in the NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Semifinals held in Indianapolis at Nicoson Hall.

The setback ended FSU's postseason run and the Bulldogs finished the year with a 24-9 overall mark. The trip to the regional semifinals was FSU's second-straight and fifth since 2016 in the program's 16th all-time NCAA Division II Tournament appearance.

After registering a 71-70 regional quarterfinal win over Ashland on Saturday, the Bulldogs overcame an early 9-1 lead by the Tritons to grab a 39-37 halftime advantage. FSU led by as many as eight points late in the first half.

However, the Tritons shot 57.1% in the second half of play and outscored FSU 45-29 over the final 20 minutes to move on to the regional championship game. UMSL improved to 23-10 on the year with the win in the first-ever postseason matchup between the two teams.

Ferris State's Amari Lee led the Bulldogs with a team-high 15 points in the game while Solomon Oraegbu added 13 points and Vejas Grazulis tallied 12 first-half points.

The Bulldogs were limited to 39.3% shooting overall and finished only four-of-15 (28.7%) from long range. FSU did convert 20-of-23 (87%) free throws.

The Tritons were paced by Donovan Vickers, who notched a game-high 20 points off the bench. Bowen Sandquist added 18 points and went five-of-eight behind the three-point line while Victor Nwagbaraocha contributed 12 points.

UMSL finished with a 50.9% shooting figure for the night and the Tritons made 12-of-23 (52.2%) from long range along with 12-of-18 (66.7%) tries at the charity stripe.

Both teams finished with 33 rebounds with FSU turning the ball over 16 times compared to 14 for Missouri-St. Louis. The Bulldogs were outscored 22-14 in points off turnovers and 14-8 on the offensive glass, but did own a 30-28 margin inside the paint along with an 18-13 showing in fast break production.

This season, the Bulldogs placed second overall in the GLIAC during regular-season play and advanced to the league tournament semifinals while hosting the conference tournament prior to the NCAA run. All 15 squad members are eligible to return next season for FSU as the Bulldogs had no seniors playing their final season this campaign.