Ferris State Rolls To Decisive Win Over Cleary In Home Opener At Wink Arena

Postgame Interview & Highlights 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad bolted out to an early lead and cruised to a decisive 109-42 win over visiting Cleary University in the Bulldogs' 2023-24 home opener on Wednesday (Nov. 15) night inside FSU's Jim Wink Arena.

Six Bulldog players reached double-digits and all 13 Ferris State played that saw action scored at least four points in the victory as FSU moved to 3-0 overall this year.

Ferris State led 62-14 at halftime and shot 68.9% from the floor for the game, including 73.5% in the opening half of action. The Bulldogs made 13-of-23 (56.5%) three's and went 12-of-16 (75%) from the free throw line in the triumph.

The Bulldogs were led by senior guard Ben Davidson, who scored the opening 10 points of the contest for FSU and finished with 15 points. Meanwhile, Ethan Erickson made five-of-eight three's off the bench and also tallied 15 points while Jorden Brooks notched 13 points in a reserve role.

Ferris State also got 10 points each from senior Jack Ammerman and senior big man Vejas Grazulis, who made all five of his field goal attempts. DeSean Munson finished with eight points and pulled down a team-high tying six rebounds.

The Bulldogs dominated the glass with a 42-17 advantage, which included 11 offensive caroms. FSU also outscored Cleary 36-13 in points off turnovers, forcing 19 miscues, and held a 17-6 margin in second chance scoring along with a 54-18 margin inside the paint. Ferris State's up tempo attack also generated 26 fast break points compared to only nine for the Cougars and the FSU bench produced 68 total points to only 14 for Cleary's reserves.

The Cougars, who are a first-year program, fell to 0-4 overall this year. They were led by Jaylen Cole-Williams with 11 points and Chris Williams with 10 points. FSU limited Cleary to 29.8% shooting, which included a six-of-31 (19.4%) showing from long range.

Finally, Ferris State shared the ball extremely well with 31 assists in the victory. Junior Jimmy Scholler had a team-high seven helpers with senior Amari Lee recording six. The Bulldogs also generated 12 steals with a team-high four from Scholler and three by redshirt freshman Owen Hardy.

The Bulldogs will hit the road on Saturday, Nov. 18, for a regional road showdown against Findlay at Croy Gymnasium in Findlay, Ohio. Tipoff is set for 3 p.m. (ET).