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GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University women's basketball team will put its 3-0 record on the line Saturday afternoon at 1:00 as the Warriors host Kentucky Wesleyan College (3-1).  Off to its best start in 17 years, Wayne State earned its second consecutive comeback victory Monday night at Malone University, a 66-60 result.


ON THE BENCH
Carrie Lohr is 3-0 as the head mentor of the women's basketball program. Lohr earned her first career win at WSU on Nov. 11 against Rochester College. She was named the 12th head coach on May 11 after serving as the head coach at St. Clair County Community College (SC4) in Port Huron for the last nine seasons (2002-11).  She also spent two years (1997-99) as an assistant coach at Oakland University as it transitioned from Division II to Division I. Lohr was selected as the 2009-10 BCAM (Basketball Coaches Association of Michigan) Junior College Coach of the Year after earning the MCCAA Eastern Conference Coach of the Year award. She also won the BCAM Junior College Coach of the Year award following the 2003-04 campaign. She had a record of 166-106 (.610) in her nine years with the Skippers along with an MCCAA mark of 93-50 (.650), as SC4 always finished in the top half of the conference standings.

Caleb and Nicole Nieman enter their second season as co-head women's basketball coaches at Kentucky Wesleyan.  The husband and wife tandem led the Panthers to a 17-10 record and their first trip to the NCAA Division II tournament in their 35-year history last season.


MALONE RECAP
Wayne State erased a seven-point second half deficit to defeat Malone, 66-60, on Monday night at Osborne Hall.  Junior forward Deanna Crumpton scored a team-high 17 points and collected six rebounds, while junior center Juanita Cochran added 15 points and a game-high nine rebounds. Both individuals tallied 10 first half points.

The Warriors outscored the Pioneers 12-6 in the final 5:03 of the ballgame to come away on top. A free throw from junior forward Phaebre Colbert and a Lena Thomas jumper gave WSU a 57-54 lead with 2:54 left. After trading baskets, junior guard Paige Sickmiller's jumper pushed the visitors margin to five (61-56) with 57 seconds to go. Wayne State hit 5-of-6 from the free-throw line the rest of the way to seal the win.

The Warriors saw their 32-27 halftime lead turn into a 45-38 Pioneer lead as the hosts opened the first 7:24 of the final 20 minutes on an 18-6 run. However, after a WSU timeout, the visitors tallied seven straight points tying the game on a Sickmiller basket with 9:39 to go.

Wayne State regained the lead (52-51) on a pair of free throws from point guard Stefani Munro at the 6:23 mark. On the ensuing possession, Caitlin Sharp buried a three-pointer putting Malone up by two, but Crumpton answered with jumper back down the floor.

In the opening half, Wayne State raced out to a 12-4 lead following a steal and a basket from Munro, but Malone responded with a 6-0 run. Colbert's lay-up at the 11:48 mark catapulted a 20-11 WSU run over the next 8:33. Once again, the Pioneers responded using a 6-0 run narrowing WSU's lead heading into the break.

Thomas had eights points, five rebounds and two assists, while Munro finished with six points and four assists. Colbert chipped in five points and seven rebounds and Sickmiller added four points and six rebounds.


SCOUTING KENTUCKY WESLEYAN
The Panthers opened the regular season with victories over Oakland City and Lindenwood before a loss to Ashland last Saturday.  KWC bounced back to defeat North Alabama, 73-58, on Tuesday to improve to 3-1 on the year.  Saturday afternoon will be the Panthers' first road test.

Senior center Katie Behrens leads the Panthers averaging 11.0 points per game.  She scored 14 in Tuesday's win over UNA, and has a 59.3 shooting percentage for the season.

Junior guard Lauren Goffinet averages 6.5 points per game, and senior guard Kristen Rowe has averaged 8.0 points and 3.8 rebounds coming off the bench.  KWC's leading rebounder is junior center Kailyn Mitchell (4.3 rpg).


SERIES HISTORY
Wayne State is winless in four previous matchups with Kentucky Wesleyan.  The most recent setback was an 81-72 overtime loss last November in Owensboro.  Sickmiller led WSU with a career-high nine rebounds to go along with seven points.

The all-time series between WSU and KWC dates back to Dec. 13, 1997, when the Panthers defeated the Tartars, 64-54, in KWC's only trip to Detroit prior to Saturday.


IN THE POLLS
Wayne State was picked to finish fifth by the media in the GLIAC South Division and Colbert was named to the South Division Preseason All-GLIAC Second Team in voting by the conference coaches.

Kentucky Wesleyan tied Bellarmine for fourth in the East Division with 50 points in the Great Lakes Valley Conference preseason coaches' poll.