Marc 9, 2025

Ferris State women’s basketball team falls to GVSU in GLIAC Tourney championship game

The Ferris State University women's basketball squad fought to the finish but fell short by a 79-48 score to rival Grand Valley State University in the 2025 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference Tournament Championship Game on Sunday.

The host Lakers captured the league's postseason crown and the automatic bid into the NCAA D2 Tournament, spoiling the Bulldogs' conference tournament run that included a big semifinal win over Northern Michigan on Saturday.

In Sunday's title game, the Lakers took a 16-10 lead after the opening period and outscored Ferris State 18-7 in the second frame. They held on to a double-digit lead the rest of the way in moving to 32-2 on the year.

The Bulldogs were limited to 33.9% shooting and Ferris State went only five-of-24 from long range in the setback, dropping to 21-11 overall this year. The Bulldogs converted three-of-six free throws.

GVSU made 46.2% of their field goals and finished 10-of-29 from the three-point arc along with nine-of-11 at the charity stripe.

The Lakers held a 40-36 rebounding margin and came away with 11 offensive boards, leading to a 14-6 edge in second chance scoring. GVSU also finished with a 17-5 advantage in points off turnovers, forcing 20 Bulldog miscues overall.

The Bulldogs got 12 points from senior guard Kenzie Bowers, a Masters of Business Administration major, to go with 11 points from junior Mia Riley, an Optometry major. Junior Mya Hiram, a Dental Hygiene major, added nine points while freshman Alyssa Wirth had six points.

The Lakers got 15 points and 12 rebounds in a double-double effort from standout Rylie Bisballe. Additionally, Abrie Cabana added 14 points and MacKenzie Bisballe chipped in 10 points.

The Bulldogs will now await the NCAA Division II Selection Show with the tournament field set to be announced Sunday at 10:30 p.m. at NCAA.com.