ALLENDALE, Mich. — The Ferris State University women's basketball squad captured the school's first NCAA Division II Midwest Regional Championship on Monday (March 18) night, knocking off top-seeded rival Grand Valley State 49-46 in the regional final before a huge crowd in Allendale.
The Bulldogs advanced to the NCAA D2 Elite Eight for the first-time ever by beating the Lakers to move to 25-5 on the year. It marked FSU's second win over GVSU in three tries this year.
Ferris State took a slim halftime lead in the back-and-forth game and led by as many as 11 points in the third period before the Lakers battled back. From there, Ferris State held onto the lead down the stretch and came away with the win.
The Bulldogs got 13 points off the bench from sophomore Mya Hiram along with 12 points from junior guard Kadyn Blanchard in punching their ticket to the Elite Eight. Seniors Chloe Idoni and Mallory McCartney both added eight points each in a balanced Bulldog effort.
Ferris State shot 36.5% from the floor and was six-of-15 (40.0%) from long range along with five-of-10 (50%) at the free throw stripe. The Bulldogs also held the Lakers to only 30.2% shooting with GVSU finishing six-of-25 (24%) from beyond the arc and eight-of-nine (88.9%) at the line.
The Lakers won the rebounding battle 35-34, but also had 15 turnovers compared to 11 for FSU. Ferris State tallied 22 points inside the paint compared to 20 for the Lakers. Ferris State also had 10 steals in the game.
With the win, the Bulldogs claimed their first-ever regional championship as their appearance in the final was only their second in school history and first since 2007.
The NCAA Division II Elite Eight is set for March 25-29 in St. Joseph, Mo., and matchups along with game times will be announced soon by the NCAA following the completion of regional final play on Tuesday.