In this week’s episode of Ferris Sports Update, our host Rob Bentley is joined by three guests from the athletics department; Head Coach of Women’s Basketball Kurt Westendorp, Assistant Coach of Men’s Hockey Mark Kaufman, and Head Coach of Men’s Basketball Andy Bronkema, bringing us an insight of the lats week’s events on their teams and how their season is looking ahead.
Written by Kourtney and Scott | Layout and Featured Image by Aimee
Women’s Basketball
The team just played their last two home games and are preparing for their last two away games of the season. The team recently won against Purdue Northwest 118 points to 74, setting a new school record. According to coach Westendorp Women’s Basketball started strong and worked together to attack their defense and were up 61 to 38 at the first half. Coach Westendorp talks about how happy he is with the way they’ve been playing the defense in the second half of the season. Following that game, the team played against Wisconsin-Parkside and celebrated senior night. It was an emotional night for the team, specially the seniors which resulted in the team playing extra hard. The first half of the game was very back and forth, with Parkside being up by 2 at the half. They kept up offensively and were aggressive and assertive, giving them an edge that allowed them to win. The game made Ferris the only school in Division II with two players to get triple doubles in the same season. Coach Westendorp was proud of the way the team bonded together to get the win. They face now two upcoming away games, the very last two of the season. They will play against Wayne State on Thursday, February 27 and Saginaw Valley on Saturday, March 1. They’re looking forward to the challenge and are excited to see what happens post-season.
First, host Rob talked to women’s basketball head coach Kurt Westendorp. The team just played their last two home games and are preparing for their last two away games of the season. The team recently won against Purdue Northwest 118 points to 74, setting a new school record. The team started strong and worked together to attack their defense and were up 61 to 38 at the half. Their coach is very happy with the way they’ve been playing the defense in the second half of the season. Following that game, the team played against Wisconsin-Parkside and celebrated senior night. The team was emotional about senior night was pulled together and played hard. The first half of the game was very back and forth, with Parkside being up by 2 at the half. They kept up offensively and were aggressive and assertive, giving them an edge that allowed them to win. The game made Ferris the only school in Division II with two players to get triple doubles in the same season. Coach Westendorp was proud of the way the team banded together to get the win. The team has two upcoming away games, the last two of the season. They play against Wayne State on Thursday, February 27 and Saginaw Valley on Saturday, March 1. They’re looking forward to the challenge and are excited to see what happens post-season.
Hockey
We welcome now the Assistant Coach of Hockey, Mark Kaufman to discuss the team’s recent trip to Michigan Tech and their final stretch of the regular season. The Bulldogs faced off against Michigan Tech in a two games over the weekend, on both Friday and Saturday. Friday’s game proved to be a tough challenge for Ferris State, as Michigan Tech came out strong and took control early in the game. By the end of the first period, the Huskies had built a 3-0 lead, putting the Bulldogs in a difficult position. Coach Kaufman emphasized that success in hockey often comes down to how well a team defends in front of its own goal, and in this game, their defense fell a little short. Despite their efforts to rally back, they ultimately lost to Michigan Tech. The team showed impressive resilience in Saturday’s rematch, bouncing back with a hard-fought 3-2 victory. It was a much-needed win for the Bulldogs, and Coach Kaufman credited their ability to rebound from Friday’s loss as the key factor in their success. He noted that the team never panicked, even after going down 2-0 early in the game. Instead, they remained composed and made crucial adjustments that paid off on the ice. Their determination and ability to implement changes from the previous night allowed them to stage a comeback and secure the win. With that momentum, the Bulldogs are now heading into the final week of the regular season. They will return home for a pivotal two-game series against Northern Michigan this weekend. These upcoming matchups will be crucial as the team looks to finish the season strong and position themselves for the post-season. Coach Kaufman expressed confidence in the team’s ability to rise to the occasion and is eager to see how they perform at home.
Men’s Basketball
The last portion of this episode our host Rob Bentley interviews Andy Bronkema, Head Coach of Men’s Basketball. The interview starts out with the recent wins that took place in Wink Arena this past weekend. Coach Bronkema said the crowd was amazing and they helped carrying the team at the beginning when they were struggling to make shots. He commented how great it was to finish out this portion of the season this way. Now they will be on the road to finish out their season. The team is looking forward to seeing what the playoffs have in store for them. Coach Bronkema also spoke about how you play is how you practice, commenting how he liked seeing last handful of practices they have had, showing great performances. Rob and Coach Bronkema talk about Thursday game against Purdue Northwest in which at half-time the score was 32-20 Ferris. The final score of this game was 86-55 for Ferris, with a great comeback. Ferris also pulled out a big win over the University of Wisconsin-Parkside Ranger with a final score of 69-60. The team’s upcoming basketball gamea are Thursday Feb 27 at Wayne State start time of 7:30 p.m. EST, and Saturday March 1 at Saginaw Valley State start time of 3:00 p.m. EST.
Conclusion
These three teams are in their last season games, creating great excitement among the Ferris students, staff, and fans! All three coaches talked about how exciting it is to finish a season with great results. Now, with their last games coming soon, the tension and the pressure builds up, and our bulldogs are ready to face this final part of the road. Stay tuned for more updates and coverage on Ferris Sports Update!