Men's Basketball Drops Tough 76-65 Contest To No. 5 Ferris State

OVERVIEW – FERRIS STATE

SCORE:  Ferris State Bulldogs 76, Northwood Timberwolves 65

RECORDS: Northwood (2-6, 0-3 GLIAC), Ferris State (11-0, 3-0 GLIAC)

LOCATION: Riepma Arena – Midland, MI.

RECAP: Northwood leads by seven in the second half, but No. 5 Ferris State finishes the game strong in a 76-65 FSU win Thursday night (December 7).

FIRST HALF

• Ferris State seemed to be on their way to an easy night, scoring 15 of the first 21 points three minutes into the contest.
• Northwood was able to respond impressively however, going on a 14-5 run of their own to cut the deficit to 21-20 by the halfway point.  
• The Timberwolves were able to battle all the way back to a tie at 24-24 with 7:45 left.
• NU continued to trade points and kept up with the Bulldogs down the stretch, and eventually took their first lead of the game in the final 30 seconds. They took a 39-38 edge to the locker room. 
• Northwood shot 41.5 percent from the floor in the first (17-41), while Ferris State finished at 42.1 percent (16-38). NU hit four 3-pointers in the half compared to FSU at two. The Bulldogs held a 4-1 edge from the foul line. 

SECOND HALF

• Northwood carried their momentum into the second, starting the stanza with a 10-4 run to go up 49-42 five minutes into the second.
• The Timberwolves were able to hold firm on their edge for the first ten minutes, leading 55-49 at the halfway point.
• The Bulldogs were able to retake the lead with a 9-0 run, holding Northwood scoreless for almost five minutes while building their 58-55 edge. The Timberwolves were able to answer with three of their own, setting up an exciting finish tied at 58 with 4:41 left.
• Ferris State took control in crunch time. Keyed by two three-pointers, the Bulldogs went on a 12-2 run to make it 70-60 with just over a minute to play. The visitors made their free throws count to end a hard-fought contest.
• The Timberwolves could not stay hot in the second half, as they sunk 34.5 percent of their attempts from the field (10-29). The Bulldogs finished the half at 39.3 percent (11-28).
• The foul line was the key to the final 20 minutes, as the Timberwolves out-scored FSU 13-3 from the line in the second half.

GAME STATS

• FG PERCENTAGE: Ferris State .409 (27-66), Northwood .386 (27-70)
• 3-PT PERCENTAGE: Ferris State .333 (5-15), Northwood .350 (7-20)
• FREE THROW PERCENTAGE: Ferris State .773 (17-22), Northwood .667 (4-6)
• REBOUNDS: Ferris State 41 (15 offensive), Northwood 44 (18 offensive)
• ASSISTS/TURNOVERS: Ferris State 7/10, Northwood 17/17
• POINTS IN THE PAINT: Ferris State 36, Northwood 38
• POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: Ferris State 18, Northwood 7

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Alec Marty: 15 points (3-5 from 3-Pt), four assists
• Kevin Calhoun II: Nine points, four assists, three rebounds, four assists

GAME NOTES:

• Alec Marty posted his third performance of 15 points or more in his eighth game at Northwood.

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves will host Lake Superior State Saturday (December 9) for a game against the Lakers. Game time is set for 3 p.m.