Ferris State women’s basketball team reflects on season, tough loss in NCAA DII National Tournament semifinals

March 27, 2024

ST. JOSEPH, Mo. — 

The Ferris State University women’s basketball team members say they’re proud they
reached the NCAA DII Final Four for the first time – but say they believe the team
has the potential to return to the upper echelons of the tournament in the years to
come.

The Bulldogs fell to Texas Women’s University in the NCAA DII National Semifinals
on Wednesday. TWU, the tournament’s second seed, moved out to a 25-16 lead by the
end of the first quarter, then was in front 39-22 at the half, finishing the game
68-52 to advance to the national finals.

The Bulldogs made it to the Final Four for the first time in program history, and
its seventh NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament appearance and third in the past four
full seasons.

Bulldogs went into the contest with a 26-6 record and celebrated a historic run that
included the Ferris State men’s and women’s teams reaching the Elite Eight round of
the tournament for the first time together. The men’s team fell to Minnesota State
University on Tuesday in Evansville, Indiana.

“We hoped to do more and hoped to get the win. But this program is just getting rolling,”
said senior forward Chloe Idoni, a Fenton native. “We’re happy we are a part of starting
it, and hopefully we’re starting a legacy that is the new standard.”

Head Coach Kurt Westendorp said that’s the kind of determination and commitment he
grew to expect from his team.

“The chemistry and the way they bought into each other, that’s not something you always
see,” he said after the game. “It’s March 27 and we’re still playing basketball games.
We are as energized as ever.  That’s a sign of group that likes to be around each
other and brings out the best in each other.

“I feel that they’ve made be a better coach. It’s fun to coach kids who want to be
pushed and coached hard. They have great character as well.  The fans here in this
building get to see how hard they play and how tight they are, but they don’t get
to see the character behind the scenes. That’s probably where I get a little more
emotional. I see them as great young women.”

Westendorp said TWU played “an awesome game” and said the players were “incredibly
talented and well-coached.”

“I feel we played good spurts in this game, but we didn’t play a good enough 40 minutes
to be on the better end of it,” he said. “I knew we’d give them a run, and we absolutely
gave them some runs. But we were never able to get it down quite enough to get them
nervous.”

The Bulldogs made the seventh NCAA Women’s Basketball Tournament appearance in the
program’s history and third in the past four full seasons. Ferris State advanced to
the tourney in 2019-20 before it was cancelled due to COVID and fell in a first-round
tournament thriller at Ashland two years ago before claiming the program’s first regional
championship this year.

“These kids mean the world to me,” Westendorp said. “I’m really happy I got to coach
them. I’m going to try and smile a little bit more. I’m really proud of my team and
how they represented Ferris.”