MIDWEST REGION CHAMPIONS! Ferris State Men's Basketball Wins Regional Crown To Advance To Elite Eight

Postgame Celebration 
Postgame Interview - Erickson 
Postgame Interview - Munson 
Postgame Highlights & Interview 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University men's basketball squad is headed to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight for the the third time in school history as the Bulldogs captured the Midwest Regional Championship on Tuesday (March 19) evening with a hard-fought 86-81 win over Lake Superior State at Nicoson Hall in Indianapolis.

The Bulldog men's squad joined the FSU women's team in capturing the Midwest Region crown over the past 24 hours as both teams are now headed for the national quarterfinals.

Ferris State fell behind early as Lake Superior State caught fire early and built a 16-point lead at one stage of the game. The Bulldogs fought back within five at halftime and erased the deficit by scoring the first nine points of the second half to grab the lead.

From there, the game went back and forth down the stretch. LSSU held a four-point lead with less than three minutes to go, but FSU rallied and came away with the win, notching the regional crown on the heels of last week's Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament Championship.

By winning the regional title, the Bulldogs will advance to the NCAA Division II Elite Eight March 26-30 in Evansville, Ind. Additional information and details will be coming soon.

Ferris State was led by Ethan Erickson with 23 points in the game, including making his first five three-point attempts in the opening half to help FSU climb back into the game. He was joined in double-digits by seniors Ben Davidson and Vejas Grazulis with 11 points each while both senior Dolpao Olayinka and junior Reece Hazelton added 10 points apiece.

The Bulldogs converted 45.3% of their field goals and made 12-of-24 (50%) three's along with 16-of-20 (80%) free throws. FSU also outrebounded LSSU 41-31 in the game.

Meanwhile, the Lakers shot 40% from the field and went 14-of-29 (48.3%) behind the three-point arc along with 15-of-18 (83.3%) at the foul stripe. Ferris State had 14 turnovers and the Lakers finished with 13 in the setback.

The Lakers, who had split the regular-season series' with the Bulldogs, were led by Devin Womack with 20 points. Kingsley Perkins added 16 points while Tyson Edmondson scored 14 points, Hunter Soper tallied 13 points and Xander Okerlund netted 10 points.

The Bulldogs outscored LSSU 20-10 in points off turnovers and 28-22 inside the paint.

Ferris State improved to 28-7 overall this season with its sixth-straight postseason win.

Both Erickson and Davidson were tabbed to the regional all-tournament team and Erickson brought home Most Valuable Player accolades.

The Bulldogs' trip to the NCAA D2 Elite Eight will be its first since winning the D2 National Championship in 2018 and only the third in program history.

Seedings and official matchups for the national quarterfinals will be announced soon. Stay tuned to FerrisStateBulldogs.com for additional postseason information as it becomes available.

Stay tuned for more postgame coverage coming soon!