Women’s Basketball Drops Hard Fought Game against Ferris State – PHOTOS

SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Lake Superior State women’s basketball team fell to the Ferris State Bulldogs by a final score of 83-65 on Tuesday, Jan. 26 in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) game. 

First Half 

The Lakers had a strong start to the game against the Bulldogs, scoring 24 points in the first quarter to take an early lead over Ferris. 

The first three minutes of play was back-and-forth between the two teams with the Lakers holding a two point lead over the Bulldogs (9-7). Freshman guard Jaden Wilder, who led the team in points in the first half with nine, made a three point shot with 5:45 left in the opening quarter to give the Lakers a 14-10 lead. Wilder would add two points on a jump shot and sophomore Kelly Olthof would follow with a pair of layups to extend the Lakers lead to ten points (20-10) over the Bulldogs with three minutes left in the first quarter. 

The first ten minutes would conclude with the Lakers ahead by eight points (24-16) over the visitors. 

Makenzie Bray, who played another solid game for the Lakers, would score the team’s first six points of the second quarter. 

Throughout the second quarter, the Bulldogs offense began to erase the Lakers lead and the first twenty minutes of play would close with the Bulldogs trailing by just two points (37-35). 

The Lakers success in the first half came from the team’s play in the paint as LSSU scored 28 of its 37 points from there. 

Second Half 

Mattison Rayman made a layup on the first scoring play of the second half to put the Lakers ahead by four points (39-35) and would go on to add the next three points for the Lakers in the quarter. Wilder would score on a jump shot to bring the Lakers lead back to four points (44-40) with 7:05 left in the third quarter. 

However, the Bulldogs, led by freshman Kadyn Blanchard, would take over the game in the final 5:27 of the third quarter as Ferris State would score 16 of the final 22 points in the quarter. 

The Lakers were still in the game entering the fourth quarter as they trailed Ferris by only six points (56-50) and Olthof cut the deficit to four points with a layup in the opening seconds of action. The Bulldogs responded with a run of 12 straight points to put the game out of reach for the Lakers. 

In the first of two meetings between the Lakers and the Bulldogs this season, Ferris State would secure the win by a final score of 83-65. 

Breaking Down the Game

For the third straight game, Bray led the way for the Lakers as she scored a team-leading 16 points while also adding four rebounds and three assists.  Freshman Jaden Wilder posted a double-digit point total for the second straight game as she finished the game with a season-best 13 points. Rayman rounded out the Lakers with double-digit point totals in the game as she posted 11 points against the Bulldogs. 

The Lakers finished the game with a 43.1 shooting percentage, going 25-for-58 against Ferris. On the other end of the floor, the Bulldogs went 30-for-63 in the game to total a 47.6 shooting percentage. Lake Superior was outrebounded by Ferris State, 31-29, in the game.

What’s Next 

The Lakers will stay at home for a pair of games this weekend against the Northern Michigan Wildcats on Saturday, Jan. 30 and Sunday, Jan. 31. Both games are set for a 3:00 p.m. tipoff in the Bud Cooper Gymnasium in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. 

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