Big Rapids, MI – A second half comeback and offensive surge would not be enough for the NCCAA DII #1 Grace Tigers Tuesday night against the 2018 NCAA DII National Champion Ferris State University, eventually falling 107-83.
A sluggish first half would not eliminate the Tigers, but presented them with a 17-point deficit at 50-33. A great start to the half would trim the Bulldogs' lead to 10 points on multiple occasions, but Ferris State seemed to always get a basket to stop the Tigers runs when needed and ran away with the game in the final two minutes.
"It was the tale of two halves again," commented Grace Head Coach Gary Bailey after the game. "Playing the NCAA DII #17 team should be enough of a motivation to be excited in your play. We need to be able to find that excitement that we showed in the second half, at the start of the game. We had multiple chances to get the lead to single digits and missing so many layups and 12 free throws always hurts your chances of winning. I think our guys saw that we can play with anyone. Hopefully we can take that and build from it for the rest of the year."
The Tigers were outrebounded 43-32 and Ferris State knocked down 17 three-point shots to their 9, which proved to be the difference.
Senior Brandon Winchester-Jones led the Tigers with 28 points, 5 assists, and 4 steals. Austin Jackson contributed another double-double with 19 points and 11 rebounds.
The Tigers will enjoy some time off for the Thanksgiving break before a National Championship rematch against NCCAA #4 Great Lakes Christian College on December 4th. To make things even more anticipated, the game will be played prior to the Detroit Pistons vs. Milwaukee Bucks game inside of Little Caesar's Arena in Detroit, MI.
See what Ferris State Head Coach Andy Bronkema had to say about the Tigers in the first 50 seconds of this video: https://youtu.be/ElS82iPJbRg
