Wayne State Men's Basketball Weekly Notes

2010-11 RECORDS:
#21-Wayne State 13-3, 9-1 GLIAC
Ashland 8-8, 2-7 GLIAC
Lake Erie 5-11, 1-8 GLIAC

SERIES:
WSU leads Ashland 26-18
WSU leads Lake Erie 1-0

LAST MEETINGS:
WSU won 75-51 at home vs. AU on Dec. 4
WSU won 60-52 at home vs. LEC on Dec. 2

RADIO: WDTK (1400 AM)

ONLINE AUDIO: wdtkam.com

LIVE STATS:  livestats.prestosports.com/waynestate

* GAMES 17-18 STORYLINES

Wayne State, ranked 21st in the country, leads the GLIAC South Division by a 1/2 game over Findlay starting the second half of conference play.

The Warriors conclude a three-game road trip and a stretch of five away contests in a six-game span this week with matches at Ashland and Lake Erie.

* ALL-TIME SERIES

WSU holds a 26-18 lead over the Eagles in a series that began on Jan. 27, 1922. The Warriors have won the last two games at Kates Gymnasium.

Wayne State won the first-ever meeting against the Storm last month in Detroit.

* WEEK 9 RECAP

Wayne State recorded a pair of South Division victories with a 102-72 home court win over Tiffin and a 69-66 triumph at Ohio Dominican.

The Tiffin contest was tied three times in the first 4:15 before the visiting Dragons took their largest lead of the game (14-11) at the 15:32 mark.

The Warriors responded with an 11-0 run as Tiffin was held scoreless for over four minutes. Wayne State garnered its largest lead of the opening 20 minutes at the 2:12 mark following a triple by Bryan Smothers, which gave the hosts a 49-30 lead.

The Dragons pulled within 15 following a triple 75 seconds into the second half, but WSU answered with four straight points on a pair of Mike Hollingsworth free throws and a lay-up by Jerry Oden off a dish by Hollingsworth.

The Dragons had a 5-1 run to make it an 11-point game (78-67) with 4:54 left, but WSU closed out the contest on a 24-5 run.

Ian Larkin's three-point basket, just inside the half-court line as time expired, propelled Wayne State to a 69-66 win at Ohio Dominican on Jan. 22.

With 1.4 seconds left, following a Panther turnover, Hollingsworth inbounded the ball to Larkin on the far side of the court to set up the game-winning basket.

Larkin scored 14 points, Smothers had a game-high 21 points to go along with eight rebounds, and Hollingsworth tallied 16 points for the Warriors.

WSU was down by as many as nine in the second half, but rallied in the final 4:42, outscoring ODU, 16-6.

Oden, who finished with eight points and eight rebounds before fouling out, tied the game at 60 with 1:39 remaining. After trading buckets, John Trew drilled a triple with 38 seconds left putting the Panthers on top 65-62. Ike Udanoh made two foul shots cutting the deficit to one with 15 seconds left. Jake Mochoskay made it a two-point ballgame, hitting 1-of-2 from the charity stripe. Smothers' three-point attempt fell short, but Udanoh was there for the put back to tie it at 66.

* ON THE BENCH

David Greer, just the ninth head coach in 93 years of WSU basketball, is in his 10th season at WSU with a 140-124 record.  He is the fifth-longest tenured coach at WSU.

John Ellenwood is in his second season at Ashland and has compiled a record of 21-23.

Lake Erie's Cliff Hunt is in his sixth season with a 88-65 mark.

* SCOUTING ASHLAND

The Eagles lost two road games last week (77-63 at Saginaw Valley, and 80-64 at Lake Superior) to snap a three-game winning streak.

AU is 5-2 in home games this season, with a 4-0 non-conference mark.

Kale Richardson leads Ashland in scoring (14.3 ppg), field goals made (76), and rebounds (113), while ranking second in three-pointers made (19).

Evan Yates is second in scoring (13.4), but first in free throws made (67) and field goal percentage (61.7).

David Harris has made a team-best 20 triples, while leading the Eagles in both assists (36) and steals (25).

Blake Saunders has a team-high 13 blocked shots.

Yates has led AU in scoring in the last four contests and five of the last six matches.

WSU-AU SERIES NOTES

• WSU leads 26-18 in the all-time series, which began on Jan. 27, 1922, as Detroit Junior College won 24-13 at Ashland

• Wayne State has a 9-11 mark at Ashland, including wins in the last two games at Kates Gymnasium

* SCOUTING LAKE ERIE

The Storm has lost two straight and five of its last six games.  LEC is 0-3 at home in league play with setbacks to Ashland, Northwood and Ohio Dominican.

Ethan Bradshaw is the lone player averaging in double figures (16.4) heading into Thursday's home game vs. Findlay.  Bradshaw has made 36 more field goals than any of his teammates.

Garrick Sims leads the squad with 105 rebounds, while Brandon Smith has a team-high 42 offensive rebounds.

Bradshaw has a team-best 20 steals, with Riley Thomas leading the Storm with 43 assists.

LEC was held to a season-low 33.9 percent (20-of-59) in the first meeting at Wayne State.

WSU-LEC SERIES NOTES

• WSU leads 1-0 in the all-time series

• Wayne State has never played at LEC's Osborne Athletic Center

• The Warriors won the only previous meeting, 60-52, in Detroit last month