#20 Ferris State Battles To Finish In Tight Setback To League Leader NMU

Postgame Interview & Highlights 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad battled to the finish, but the 20th-ranked Bulldogs fell short to Northern Michigan in a 83-80 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) setback on Thursday (Feb. 1) evening inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

The Wildcats, who are unbeaten in GLIAC play, took a 43-33 halftime lead and held on down the stretch despite being outscored 47-40 by FSU in the second half of play.

After falling behind by 13 points early in the second half, FSU cut the margin down to a single possession several times down the stretch in dropping to 16-5 overall and 6-4 in the GLIAC. NMU improved to 17-5 overall and 10-0 in conference action.

The Bulldogs got a game-high 22 points from senior Dolapo Olayinka to go with 14 points by fellow senior Ben Davidson. Junior Ethan Erickson added 13 points and DeSean Munson netted 10 points in the decision.

Ferris State shot 50.8% overall from the floor, including 56% in the second half, but went only five-of-20 (25%) from long range and made only a single three in the final 20 minutes. FSU finished 15-of-21 (71.4%) at the free throw line.

Meanwhile, the Wildcats converted 52.6% of their field goals and finished nine-of-21 (42.9%) from the three-point arc in addition to making 14-of-16 (87.5%) free throws.

All five NMU starters reached double-figure scoring with Max Weisbrod recording a team-best 21 points. Carson Smith added 17 points, Dylan Kuehl totaled 14 points, Riley Brooks notched 11 points and Sam Schultz finished with 10 points.

The Bulldogs did own a 34-26 rebounding margin and FSU pulled down 13 offensive caroms, leading to a 15-7 advantage in second chance scoring. The Bulldogs totaled 10 turnovers and Northern Michigan had only eight in the game.

Ferris State will look to bounce back at home on Saturday (Feb. 3) as the Bulldogs host Michigan Tech at 3 p.m. (ET) inside Wink Arena. Fans are encouraged to wear red for the annual "Red Out" game in support of women's heart health.