BLOG 26: Bulldogs need major improvement in upcoming games

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State University’s Austin Randel (right) goes up for a long jump shot during the Bulldogs’ home non-conference game, Saturday, against Grace Bible in Jim Wink Arena (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

BIG RAPIDS – Clearly, it was one of the most disappointing moments in recent Ferris State University men’s basketball history.

The Bulldogs hosted non-conference foe Grace Bible in a game in Jim Wink Arena. It was one of those games Ferris expected to win, and to do so in dominant fashion. That was the way it was supposed to go down. But, Grace Bible had other ideas as it stole a stunning and improbable 86-80 win over the host Bulldogs.

That shocking loss now puts the Bulldogs in gut-check mode with critical games coming up during the next week. Ferris hosts another non-conference opponent, Kuyper (on Monday), and returns to Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference games at Lake Superior State (Thursday) and Saginaw Valley State (Saturday). The Lakers are one of the GLIAC’s hottest teams and the Bulldogs have difficulty winning at Saginaw over the years.

If Saturday is any indication, Ferris has plenty to work on before those games. The Bulldogs lost the rebounding battle to Grace Bible (50-35), shot poorly from the field (33.8), gave up a high shooting percentage to the Tigers (56.6) from the floor, lost the physical battle in the paint and appeared out of sorts at times, running the offense. Ferris took 24 more shots than Grace Bible from the field, but its poor shooting percentage and lack of more offensive rebounding proved a painful combination to overcome.

Ferris forced 28 Grace Bible turnovers, but its poor field-goal percentage and ill-timed turnovers negated those potential opportunities. Josh Young had 32 points on 11-of-25 shooting and Justin Keenan finished with 25 points on 7-of-17 shooting from the field and 11-of-13 from the free-throw line, but that was about it, from an offensive standpoint.

Now, at 3-6 on the season, Ferris must get this ship back on course. More competition (and FAR tougher competition than Grace Bible) is ahead of the Bulldogs.

Give the Tigers credit for coming in, playing a great road game and stealing a victory. But, from a Ferris standpoint, that can not be allowed to happen.

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