BLOG 19: With perimeter-oriented offense, Ferris may need to outscore teams

By Sandy Gholston

Ferris State University forward Caitlin Hutchison drives the baseline toward the basket during a home game against Hillsdale (Photo/Sandy Gholston)

BIG RAPIDS – It wasn’t all that long ago the Ferris State University women’s basketball team ran opponents clear off the floor with a run-and-gun attack.

This season, Ferris is being led by guard Teghan Thelen, small forward Caitlin Hutchison and another small forward in Tiara Adams, a high-energy player. Thelen is leading the Bulldogs in scoring at 17 points per game, Hutchison averages double digits at 11.1 a contest and Adams is just short of double digits at 9.1 a game. It’s pretty hard not to like what that trio of scorers can do when in a rhythm. A lot of success begins with floor leadership. Becci Houdek, Ferris’ starting point guard, is averaging 7.8 points and leads the team with 25 assists.

With so much of the scoring coming from the perimeter, the Bulldogs may have to push the ball up the court a little more and outscore opponents. Ferris got additional good production from point guard Chelsea Simonetti, who has the skill to thrive in extended minutes as she finds a comfort level playing with the team. Simonetti totaled 10 points on 4-of-5 shooting with four assists and two rebounds as a starter on Sunday against the Oilers.

Ferris (2-6 overall, 1-4 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference) is idle for two-plus weeks before it will hit the court after the Christmas holiday to take on Marygrove in a non-conference game on Dec. 29 in Wink Arena beginning at 6 p.m.

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