MEN'S BASKETBALL: Ferris 65, Grand Valley 57

Dontae Molden

It was a hard-fought battle ... as most of them are when Ferris State University takes on Grand Valley State University in men's college basketball.

Saturday was no different as the Bulldogs Kenny Brown and Dontae Molden each scored 18 points to lead the Bulldogs to a 65-57 win over the Lakers in Jim Wink Arena in Big Rapids.

Defensively, the Bulldogs were superb as they managed to get the Lakers out of a rhythm for much of the game, create turnovers and get off to the races with 17 points off turnovers. The fastbreak was off and running for Ferris as Jerrell Sanders (11 points) and Daniel Sutherlin (14 points) were high flying to the rim for some spectacular dunks that brought the crowd to its feet numerous times. But, again, it all started with some tenacious and harassing defense from the Bulldogs. Ferris was solid against some of the Lakers star players like James Thomas, Nick Waddell, Breland Hogan and others. You're not always going to shut down top players, but you can make life tough on them.

Grand Valley made a late run, but the Bulldogs regained their composure thanks to some solid leadership from the backcourt from Brown and Molden. This was a big win for the Bulldogs as Ferris vaulted into first place thanks to some help from Hillsdale College (which defeated Michigan Tech University).