BLOG 13: Not the start men’s basketball had in mind

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State men’s basketball player Bryan Pasciak (right) takes care of the ball while guarded by a St. Joseph’s player during Thursday night’s game in Big Rapids in Jim Wink Arena (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

BIG RAPIDS – Ferris State University did not have a whole lot to feel good about after Thursday night’s 78-63 loss to St. Joseph’s in Jim Wink Arena.

It was a night where seemingly good chances became missed opportunities. At times, Ferris got quality looks at the basket, but could not knock the shots down. Then, at other times, the Bulldogs struggled to get high-percentage shots against the Pumas’ defense. FSU’s shooting was very poor – particularly early in the first half. By halftime, the shooting percentage was up to 30.6, but that was not high enough to nudge St. Joe off stride.

The Bulldogs had a strong effort from sophomore post player Justin Keenan, who finished with 24 points that lead all scorers. He also had eight rebounds. Keenan hit 8-of-14 shots, but only one other player shot better than 50 percent (Verdell Billingsley hit 3-of-6 shots from the floor for seven points). Josh Young was the second on the team in scoring with 11 points while Darien Gay reached double digits with 10 points.

It was clear that Ferris was struggling with the absence of starting small forward sharpshooter Austin Randel who is out with an illness and hard-working senior reserve forward Mark Gildersleeve, who was out with an injury. As a team, Ferris shot just 3-of-20 from the 3-point line.

But, credit has must go to the Pumas who came to Big Rapids and played almost a great road game. St. Joseph’s used good low-post play, it rebounded well, it protected the basketball, shot a solid percentage from the field and the free throw line (45.3 from the floor and 85 from the line) and got balanced scoring (four players in double digits and two others with eight).

If you have any questions, ideas or comments feel free to contact Sandy Gholston at sgholston2@netzero.com