BIG RAPIDS, Mich. -The Dragons hit the first basket of the game, but Ferris State (4-2, 1-0) showed why it is one of the top teams in the Midwest Region Thursday night by defeating Tiffin (2-3, 0-1) 93-63 in Big Rapids, Mich.
Joe Graessle led all scorers for the Dragons with 17 points and a pair of steals. Brian Scott came off the bench and just missed a double-double with 11 points and seven boards. Fellow classmate Rafael Cuellar added 10 points and eight rebounds.
Justn Keenan led Ferris State with 24 points and nine rebounds. Darrien Gay added 18 points while Dontae Molden contributed 11. The Bulldogs were able to capitalize on 18 Tiffin turnovers for 24 points, compared to TU forcing 11 and scoring only four points.
Both teams failed to score on their first possession before Tiffin's Joe Graessle hit a three to open up the scoring 1:22 in the game. A Keenan layup and a Joe Williams layup gave Ferris State its first lead, but a pair from the charity stripe gave Tiffin the lead back, 5-4, with 16:18 remaining in the first half. A fastbreak three pointer by Matt DeHart gave the Bulldogs the lead for good in the game and sparked a 14-2 FSU run pushed the lead to double digits for the home team.
In the first half, Tiffin was able to hit 13-30 (43.3%) from the field, but Ferris State shot 19-34 (55.9%) to take a 47-32 lead in the second half.
The Bulldogs cooled off a bit in the second half, but outshot Tiffin 50.7% (36-71) to 36.9% (24-65) for the game as Ferris State beat TU 93-63.
Tiffin returns to action Saturday (Dec. 4) when it takes on 16th-ranked Grand Valley State. Tip-off in Allendale, Mich. is set for 1 p.m.
