GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. - The women's basketball team found themselves leading 39-37 at halftime against Ferris State, but a strong second half by the Bulldogs propelled them to a 72-55 win over DU. In particular, the third quarter belonged to the Bulldogs as they outscored the Panthers 24-7 to change the momentum. In the first half, the Panthers played some solid defense. Ferris State shot 38.5 percent overall in the first quarter and had a slight uptick to 46.7 percent in the second quarter. The Panthers were able to force 12 turnovers and scored 15 points off those miscues. The Panthers came out firing at 56.3 percent in the first quarter and built a 22-15 lead after 10 minutes. The blitz to end the quarter in the last 1:47 saw DU go on an 8-1 run.
Ajai Simmons started the run with a driving layup followed by a
Ryan Harvey three-pointer and a Simmons triple with 14 seconds on the clock.
The lead grew to 11 points (29-18) after a
Claire Borsheim three-pointer with 7:16 left until halftime. Ferris State began to chip away with a 9-0 run over the next two minutes and suddenly it was 29-27. Davenport would keep the lead by a bucket at intermission and led for 13:43 in the first half.
Jaci Walker connected on a pair of free throws to open the third quarter scoring but then the clamps were put down for the Bulldogs on defense. They took and increased their lead to 49-42 at the 4:37 mark of the third and forced a 30-second Davenport timeout. The lead hit double digits for the first time at 53-43 with 3:03 to play in the quarter and Ferris State ended the quarter up 61-46. Davenport just couldn't buy a bucket going 1-of-15 from the floor and that field goal was a Harvey three-pointer with 2:02 left in the quarter.
The deficit was too much to overcome at that point, but the Panthers were showing fight allowing just 11 points in the final quarter. Neither team shot it well combining for 7-of-26 in the final 10 minutes.
Toni Grace and Simmons led the team with 13 points. Grace also grabbed six rebounds and dished out two assists in 30 minutes. Simmons came off the bench to go 4-of-11 including 2-of-6 from beyond the arc. The Bulldogs did their damage in the paint outscoring DU 38-16. Mallory McCartney had an all-around solid game for FSU with eight points, 10 rebounds, six assists and two steals in 30 minutes.
