Ferris State Hits School-Record 18 Three's In Home Win Over Warriors

Postgame Interview & Highlights 

Big Rapids, Mich. - The Ferris State University women's basketball squad hit a school-record 18 three-pointers on Saturday (Jan. 4) in an 82-65 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home win over Wayne State while staying perfect in league play at Jim Wink Arena.

Ferris State cashed in 18-of-38 (47.4%) three's, including nine in each half, while beating the Warriors to move to 10-3 overall and 4-0 in the GLIAC.

FSU's 18 total made three's topped the previous school record of 17 made three-pointers versus Lewis (Ill.) back in 2005.

A total of eight different FSU shooters hit a three and five tallied two or more with junior guard Elle Irwin nailing five and senior guard Kadyn Blanchard finishing with four made treys.

FSU built a seven-point lead at the end of the first quarter and led by 10 at halftime. Ferris State then outscored WSU 23-17 in the third and 19-18 in the fourth, winning all four periods and pushing the margin to as many as 20 points at one stretch.

While the Bulldogs had 20 turnovers in the game, their timely outside shooting led to 50 fast-break points as Ferris State forced the tempo in a game that featured only two lead changes.

The Bulldogs had five players reach double-figure scoring in the win, including 16 from Blanchard, who added 10 rebounds in a double-double performance to go with five assists. Senior guard Kenzie Bowers also had a double-double, scoring 12 points while pulling down 11 rebounds and dishing out five assists.

Irwin nearly had a double-double of her own with 15 points, eight rebounds, five assists, three steals and two blocks in an impressive game. FSU junior Mia Riley added 13 points in the victory and junior Mya Hiram totaled 11 points in addition to garnering seven rebounds. Both Emma Schierbeek and Ally Schultz added six points off the bench and each hit a pair of three's.

Overall, the Bulldogs shot 42.6% from the floor and also went 12-of-14 (85.7%) at the free throw line. FSU finished with 21 assists, nine steals and five blocked shots compared to WSU's 19 assists, 14 steals and one block.

The Warriors shot only 31.2% from the floor and went nine-of-25 (36.0%) from long range along with eight-of-10 (80%) at the free throw line. They did own a 26-12 edge in points off turnovers as they had only 13 of their own. However, Ferris State won the rebounding battle by a 50-40 count.

WSU was led by Gabi Lutchka, who netted a game-high 22 points. Taylor Thompson added 10 points and 10 boards for the Warriors, who fell to 7-5 overall and 2-2 in the GLIAC.

The Bulldogs will host top-ranked rival Grand Valley State on Thursday (Jan. 9) night in a league showdown at Wink Arena with tipoff set for 5:30 p.m. (ET). FSU then hosts Davenport on Saturday (Jan. 11) at 1 p.m. (ET) to conclude a four-game homestand.