FSU's DeHart and TU's Graessle Chosen As GLIAC Men's Basketball North and South Division "Players of the Week", Respectively

Click here for printer-friendly (PDF) version of release

BAY CITY, Mich. - Ferris State University senior guard Matt DeHart (Greenville, Mich./Greenville) and Tiffin University freshman guard Joe Graessle (Grover City, Ohio /Bishop Ready) have been chosen as the GLIAC Men's Basketball North and South Division "Players of the Week", respectively.

GLIAC North Division Player of the Week:

 Matt DeHart
Ferris State
6-4, Senior, Guard
Greenville, Mich./Greenville

Ferris State University senior guard Matt DeHart led FSU to a 79-72 overtime win over Grand Valley State Univeristy in the “131 Showdown” on Saturday at VanAndel Arena in Grand Rapids, Mich. DeHart tallied a career-high 21 points and connected on six-of-12 (50%) three-point field goals in the victory.  He also added eight rebounds and four steals while playing a career-high 41 minutes. DeHart has reached double-figure scoring in five of FSU’s last six games after not reaching double-digits in the first 13 outings this campaign.

North Division Weekly Honor Roll:  Justin Ringler - GV, Micah Hudson - LS, Jordan Reetz - MT, Jared Benson - NM, Bobby Lewis - NU, Greg Foster - SV.

2010-11 North Division "Players of the Week": (11/15) M. Hudson - LS; (11/22) J. Keenan - FS; (11/29) M. Hojnacki - MT; (12/6) A. Storrs - GV; (12/14) A. Haidar - MT;  (12/20) B. Lewis - NU; (1/3) D. Taylor - NM; (1/10) A. Haidar - MT; (1/18) J. Keenan - FS; (1/24) J. Keenan - FS; (1/31) M. DeHart - FS.

GLIAC South Division Player of the Week:

Joe Graessle
Tiffin
6-3, Freshman, Guard
Grove City, Ohio/Bishop Ready
 

Tiffin University freshman guard Joe Graessle had a career week in helping the Dragons pick up a key sweep over GLIAC North Division foes Saginaw Valley State and Lake Superior State. Graessle drained four threes in a span of 2:17 in the first half, on his way to a 25-point performace, in the Dragons’ 84-65 win over SVSU on Thursday in which he went 5-for-11 beyond the arc.  He then posted a game-high 22 points, hitting 4-of-7 shots from the three-point line, in Tiffin’s 80-73 triumph over LSSU on Saturday.

South Division Weekly Honor Roll:  Kale Richardson - AU, Kyle Caiola - UF, Brent Eaton - HC, Morgan Jones - OD, Mike Hollingsworth - WS.

2010-11 South Division "Players of the Week": (11/15) A. Robinson - UF; (11/22) B. Smothers - WS; (11/29) K. Richardson - AU; (12/6) T. Gerber - HC; (12/14) B. Eaton - HC; (12/20) B. Smothers - WS; (1/3) T. Spahr - TU; (1/10) M. Hollingsworth - WS; (1/18) N. Hyde - UF; (1/24) I. Larkin - WS; (1/31) J. Graessle - TU.

 Ashland Eagles

The Eagles turned in their best performance of the season in a 57-56 upset win over No. 21 Wayne State on Thursday night at Kates Gymnasium. The teams played a very tight first half with neither outfit leading by more than five points in the first 20 minutes. The Warriors led by two points at halftime and built a lead of as many as 14 points in the second half. Wayne State still led by 12 points with less than five minutes to play, but the Eagles used an improbable 17-4 run to secure their first win over a ranked opponent this season. Kale Richardson and Blake Saunders combined for 13 points, six rebounds (three offensive) and three steals to lead the charge in the last five minutes. Richardson finished with 24 points and 10 rebounds, while Saunders scored all of his season-high nine points in the second half. The Eagles played their second ranked foe in three days on Saturday when they welcomed No. 5 Findlay to Kates Gymnasium. AU led for much of the first half until a three-point barrage put the Oilers ahead by nine at halftime. Ronnie Steward led the Eagles with 13 points and Jordan Berlin had 10 points and five assists.

Ferris State Bulldogs

FSU pulled off one of its most memorable wins in recent history as the Bulldogs defeated archrival Grand Valley State in the “131 Showdown” on Saturday (Jan. 29) night at Grand Rapids’ Van Andel Arena by a 79-72 score in overtime... The Bulldogs trailed 67-65 in regulation following a GVSU three-point play with nine seconds to go. However, after a missed baseline jumper by senior standout Justin Keenan (Grand Rapids/Ottawa Hills), the Bulldogs had two chances on the offensive glass with the second by junior guard Dontae Molden (Detroit/Pershing) finding the hole on a tip-in with less than a second remaining in the contest... FSU then proceeded to score the first five points in overtime, all by senior guard Darien Gay (Detroit/Henry Ford), and then made seven-of-12 free throws in the extra session to secure the victory before an announced crowd of 5,863 fans. The victory was the sixth-straight for the Bulldogs and marked their eighth win in the last nine contests to date... With the win, the Bulldogs moved into a tie for first place in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) North Division standings with GVSU as both teams now hold 10-2 league marks.

Findlay Oilers

The Oilers claimed a pair of road wins last week, winning 63-41 at Lake Erie on Thursday and 70-58 at Ashland on Saturday.  In the win over Lake Erie, junior guard Kyle Caiola led the team with 14 points while sophomore forward Jack Smith tallied 12.  In the win at Ashland, Caiola again led the way with 18 points while sophomore guard Aaron Robinson and senior forward Tyler Sparks chipped in 12 points apiece.  Senior guard Nathan Hyde recorded a career-high ten rebounds in the win against Ashland while sophomore forward Brad Piehl registered nine points and nine rebounds off the bench.  On the season, Hyde is averaging 14.7 points and 4.4 rebounds per game.  Caiola is chipping in 13.6 points per contest.

Grand Valley State Lakers

#15 Grand Valley State fell in its only game last week – a 79-72 overtime loss to Ferris State at the inaugural 131 Showdown at Van Andel Arena on Saturday night. The last time the two teams played an overtime game was Feb. 7, 2005 when the Bulldogs won 76-75 in Big Rapids. GVSU had not played an overtime game this season and its last game that went past regulation was on Mar. 14, 2010 when the Lakers lost to Saint Joseph’s in the Midwest Regional semifinals, 78-76…senior Justin Ringler (Reed City, Mich.) led the Lakers against FSU with 20 points on 8-of-13 shooting, while adding eight boards and a pair of assists. He now ranks in the career top-10 in four categories (made free throws – 2nd, steals – 7th, rebounds – 9th, assists – 9th) while ranking 14th in career points (1,369)…junior James Thomas (Grand Rapids, Mich.) drained 5-of-10 three-pointers against the Bulldogs, tying his season-high for triples in a game. He also buried five trifectas against Spring Arbor on Nov. 16…sophomore Nick Carreri (Clinton Township, Mich.) was one point away from his career-high, as he notched 11 points and four boards. He was 4-of-6 from the field, 3-of-4 at the line, and put the Lakers ahead in the final 10 seconds with an old-fashioned three-point play that gave GVSU a brief two-point lead before heading to overtime.

Hillsdale Chargers

The Hillsdale College men’s basketball team went 1-1 on its annual trip to the Upper Peninsula last week…This marked the third straight season the Chargers have played at Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech during the weekend…In Thursday’s win over the Wildcats, Brent Eaton scored a game-high 28 points, giving him 55 points in two career games at NMU …Saturday’s loss at Michigan Tech was Hillsdale’s first in that building since January 2006…The Huskies hit a 3-point shot at the regulation buzzer to force overtime, and went on to score 22 points in the five-minute extra session…After starting the season 13-0, Hillsdale has lost three of its last five games, and only the most recent defeat at MTU was against an unranked opponent…The Chargers debuted at #4 in the first Midwest Regional rankings, which came out Wednesday…Hillsdale hasn’t made the NCAA Division II tournament since 2002…Junior forward Matt Clarke tied his season-high with 12 points Saturday, making all five of his shots from the floor.

Lake Erie Storm

Lake Erie dropped a pair of home contests to ranked teams falling to fifth-ranked Findlay, 63-41, on Thursday and No. 21 Wayne State, 77-47 on Saturday.  Against Findlay, The game was tied at 37-all with 12 minutes to go, but the Oilers closed with a 26-4 run to win their fourth straight, despite being held to their lowest point total of the season. Sophomore Garrick Sims (Barberton, Ohio/Barberton) led the Storm with 12 points while senior guard Ethan Bradshaw (Cincinnati, Ohio/Harmony Prep) added 10. On Saturday, Lake Erie led by as much as nine points but a 23-0 Wayne State University run spanning over nine minutes late in the first and into the second half was too much to overcome.  Red hot shooting carried the visitors all day as it finished the game 29-of-44 (65.9%) while the Storm (5-13, 1-10 GLIAC) went 16-of-47 (34.0). Lake Erie was against paced by Sims with 11 points and Bradshaw chipped in with eight to move to 1,093 for his career.

Lake Superior State Lakers

Senior guard Micah Hudson (Jackson, Mich.), playing a bigger role due to the loss of leading scorer Kyle Hunt to an injury, averaged 18.5 points, 5.0 assists and 5.0 rebounds per game as LSSU split road decisions at Ohio Dominican and Tiffin last week. Hudson’s 25 points against ODU was his second-highest total of the year and best outing against a GLIAC opponent. His six assists against Tiffin tied a season high. Sophomore guard Khalid Wells (Detroit, Mich.) filled Hunt’s spot in the starting lineup and averaged 15.0 points, 6.0 rebounds and 3.0 assists per game. LSSU plays host to Ferris State and Grand Valley State this week. The Bulldogs and Lakers out-scored LSSU by an average margin of 28 points for LSSU’s worst back-to-back losses since January, 2007. GVSU (.387), FSU (.414) and LSSU (.417) are ranked first, second and third, respectively, in field-goal percentage defense when playing against GLIAC opponents.

Michigan Tech Huskies

Freshman Jordan Reetz (Fall Creek, Wis.) swished a 3-pointer as time expired to send last Saturday’s (Jan. 29) Michigan Tech-Hillsdale game to overtime. The Huskies went on to defeat the No. 17-ranked Chargers 93-82 in overtime and snap a five-game losing streak. Reetz scored a career-high 21 points in the contest—more than four times his previous season average of 4.9… Tech’s overtime game vs. Hillsdale was its first extra-session contest since Jan. 10, 2008, at Northwood (a 74-64 Huskies win) … The Huskies will play five of their final seven regular season games on the road … Michigan Tech made 35-of-39 free throws last Saturday (Jan. 29) vs. Hillsdale, coming within one of the single-game school record of foul shots made of 36 set in 1971 … The Huskies are 10-0 when reaching the 70-point plateau and 1-8 when failing to score 70 points … Freshman Austin Armga (Waupun, Wis.) returned from a four-game absence (injury) to score 18 points in two games last week.

Northern Michigan Wildcats

NMU split a pair of GLIAC games over the weekend at home in the Berry Events Center. The ‘Cats were defeated by No. 17 Hillsdale on Thursday and picked up their second conference win of the season on Saturday over Northwood to snap a seven-game losing streak. Junior center Jared Benson averaged 19 points per game while shooting 54 percent from the field and 100 percent (14-14) from the free throw line. Benson also had 22 rebounds and four blocks on the weekend. Matthew Craggs scored 25, DeAndre Taylor 28, and Matt Everson scored 20 including a season-high 17 on Saturday. Taylor has scored in double figures in all but one game this season. Benson (60.8), Taylor (50.5) and Mylan Murphy (50.5) are all shooting better than 50 percent. The ‘Cats travel to Wayne State (Feb. 3) and Findlay (Feb. 5) over the weekend.

Northwood Timberwolves

Northwood went 1-1 last week, earning a 69-55 win at Michigan Tech before falling at Northern Michigan 85-82 … the Timberwolves are now 7-13 overall, 5-7 in the GLIAC … Bobby Lewis (Saginaw, Mich./Mott CC) came off the bench for the first two times in his Northwood career and performed well for the Timberwolves, averaging 18.5 points and 7.5 rebounds per game … he connected on seven of 13 attempts from 3-point range (53.8 percent) … Cameron Joyce (Akron, Ohio/St. Vincent St. Mary’s) had a strong week for the Timberwolves as well, averaging 13.0 points, 9.0 assists while finishing with just three turnovers … Joyce has averaged 9.0 assists per game over Northwood’s last five games, totaling 45 assists while committing just 10 turnovers … for the season, Joyce is second in the GLIAC in assists (5.4 per game) and third in assist/turnover ratio (2.3) … freshman Darvin Ham (Saginaw, Mich./Bridgeport) connected on three triples against MTU – he entered the game having made just one the entire year prior to that game.

Ohio Dominican Panthers

The Panthers suffered a pair of defeats at home last week to North Division foes Lake Superior and Saginaw Valley…ODU had five players average double figure scoring for the two game stretch, led by Morgan Jones (18.5 points on 59.3 percent shooting) and Jake Mochoskay, who came off the bench to average 16.5 points and 7.5 rebounds…The Panthers were plus-seven (42.5 to 35.5) in rebounding but shot 43.3 percent from the field, 33.3 percent from beyond the arc and 45.9 percent from the charity stripe…Mochoskay had career-highs of 20 points and 12 rebounds against Saginaw for his first career double-double…Jones has scored 20 points in four contests this season after reaching that mark against the Cardinals.

Saginaw Valley State Cardinals

SVSU went 1-1 on the road this weekend in GLIAC action, falling to Tiffin by a score of 84-65 on Thursday and defeating Ohio Dominican by a count of 83-79 on Saturday.  With the split, the Cardinals move to 9-9 on the season and 5-7 in GLIAC play.  SVSU’s Greg Foster was a standout this weekend, posting 14 points against Tiffin and 17 against Ohio Dominican.   In the victory over Ohio Dominican, the Cardinals forced the Panthers to 19 turnovers while only committing eight.  The Cards also out-shot Ohio Dominican from three, connecting on 40% of their shots. Overall on the season, SVSU is shooting a 40.5% field-goal percentage, 32.9% three-point percentage and connecting on 74% of their free throws.  The Cardinals will host GLIAC-foe Grand Valley State this Thursday (2/3) and will travel to take on Ferris State in an afternoon conference match-up on Saturday (2/5).



   

Tiffin Dragons

After dropping its first three games against the GLIAC North Division, Tiffin stormed back to take the final four games to win the season series (4-3) against its cross-divisional opponents…in a dominating 84-65 win over Saginaw Valley State on Thursday (Jan, 27), Tiffin grabbed a season-high 54 rebounds while holding the Cardinals 32. Tiffin led from the opening tip and never trailed in an 80-73 win over Lake Superior State Saturday (Jan. 29)…the defense for TU had its best weekend of the season, holding both opponents to under 40 % shooting…after three near misses this season, including a near triple-double, junior guard Karl Finley recorded his first double-double Thursday against Saginaw Valley State with 26 points and a career game-high 13 boards…Senior guard Brian Scott poured in a season-high 20 points Saturday against Lake Superior State on 5-8 shooting from behind the arc and a 5-6 mark from the charity stripe and is only 17 points shy of becoming the 29th Dragon to hit the century mark in career points.

Wayne State Warriors

Wayne State went 1-1 last week to complete a three-game road trip … the Warriors have three home games in a five day span between Feb. 3-7 … in the loss at Ashland, WSU equaled a season-high with 12 steals but was held to its lowest GLIAC output (56 points) while shooting just 37 percent from the floor (the lowest vs. a GLIAC team this year) … sophomore guard Mike Hollingsworth (Utica, Mich.) had a double-double vs. the Eagles with 25 points and 12 rebounds, which tied the WSU season-best … the Warriors limited Lake Erie to 47 points on Saturday, the fewest allowed by WSU since a 47-44 setback at Grand Valley on March 2, 2010 … Wayne State’s defense held the Storm to only 16 made field goals, the lowest by a WSU opponent since Northwood shot 15-of-52 on Dec. 6, 2007, in a 58-45 Warrior victory … Wayne State shot 66 percent (29-of-44) in the win, the best single-game percentage in the last 10 years … senior guard Bryan Smothers (Pontiac, Mich./Northern) made all five of his three-point attempts in the first half at LEC.