Feb. 10, 2011

Game Notes

* 2010-11 RECORDS:
Wayne State (7-14, 6-8 GLIAC)
Northwood (11-9, 7-7 GLIAC)

* SERIES WITH NORTHWOOD:
Wayne State leads Northwood, 24-20

* LAST MEETING WITH NORTHWOOD:
01/02/2010: NU 68, at WSU 59

* LIVE STATS:
livestats.prestosports.com/waynestate

* GAME STORYLINES

The Wayne State women's basketball team enters Saturday's meeting with Northwood University having won four of its last six games. The Warriors outlasted Madonna University on Monday, 70-65. The Timberwolves come in having triumphed in nine of their last 11 games, including a 70-64 victory at Saginaw Valley on Wednesday.

* ON THE BENCH

Gloria Bradley, the longest tenured women's basketball coach in Wayne State University history, is in her 11th season at WSU and her 18th as a head coach. Bradley's record at WSU is 123-170, while her career record stands at 237-239. She has accumulated an 82-112 all-time mark in the GLIAC.

Jeff Curtis, in his seventh season at Northwood, has compiled a 91-91 record for the Timberwolves.

* SERIES NOTES

Saturday's contest will be the 45th meeting between Wayne State and Northwood, with WSU holding a 24-20 all-time advantage in the series.

The Warriors have lost six straight to NU, but took nine of 11 in the series from Feb. 19, 1996 until Jan. 7, 2006.

WSU has lost the last six by an average margin of 17.3 points. In their last matchup, the Warriors fell at home, 68-59, on Jan. 2, 2010.

* WARRIOR NOTEBOOK

-- Sophomore forward Phaebre Colbert is averaging 14.3 ppg and 6.9 rpg in her last eight games. Colbert has tallied double figures in seven of the last nine games after not reaching double digits the first 13 contests.

-- Sophomore Paige Sickmiller has scored in double figures five of the last six games, tallying nine points in the other game. She is averaging 13.2 ppg during the span.

-- Sophomore Amelia Davis has scored double digits in three of the last five games.

-- In the six games she has started, freshman Lena Thomas has tallied at least four assists five times. Thomas dished out a career-high eight assists vs. Madonna (2/7).

-- Sophomore Deanna Crumpton is leading the team in scoring with 8.6 ppg and is tied for second in rebounding at 4.6 rpg.

-- Senior Chelsea Kouri has scored in double figures in three of the last six games.

-- Freshman center Ali Bouman has shot 58.1 percent (18-31) from the floor over the last six contests.

-- Freshman center Lauryn Robinson has gone 8-for-19 from the field over the last six games.

* LAST TIME OUT

Behind Sickmiller's career-high 24 points, the Warriors, sporting pink jerseys to honor breast cancer awareness, pulled off a 70-65 win over Madonna University on Monday. The Warriors saw a 12-point lead with 5:19 left reduced to two with just over a minute to go, but were able survive the upset scare to earn their fourth win in the last six games.

Ahead 67-55, the Crusaders used a 10-0 run to close the deficit and even had a shot at winning the contest with 23 seconds to go. Heather Pratt's three-point effort missed and fell into the hands of Sickmiller, who grabbed one of her game-best 11 rebounds, tying a career-high.

After being fouled, Sickmiller preceeded to seal the win by making both at the free-throw line. Trailing 34-32 at the break, the Warriors saw themselves down five early in the second half after a Kaylee McGrath three-point bucket made the score 39-34.

It would be the Crusaders largest lead of the final 20 minutes as WSU used a 16-4 run over the next 5:50 of the contest to take a 50-43 lead with 12:36 to go. The spurt was capped off by a triple from Sickmiller. Crumpton added 13 points and seven rebounds, while Kouri had 10 points.

* WEEK IN REVIEW

Wayne State opened its homestand with a victory over Northern Michigan, 59-57, and a loss to #8-Michigan Tech, 68-54. WSU won for the third time in four outings with a thrilling triumph over the Wildcats. Thomas drove down the lane for the game-winning lay-up with 14.9 seconds left. It was Thomas' lone bucket of the contest. Crumpton tallied a game-best 18 points and tied for team-high rebounding honors (7) with Davis.

Colbert led WSU in Saturday's defeat with 15 points. Sickmiller and Davis each chipped in with 11 points, with Sickmiller grabbing a team-best eight rebounds.

* SCOUTING NORTHWOOD

Northwood came back from 17 points down to defeat Saginaw Valley, 70-64, on Wednesday. The effort earned the Timberwolves their ninth win in 11 games. Pam Wilson led all scorers with 23 points, while Savannah Stedman chipped in 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Wilson leads the GLIAC in scoring (17.3 ppg) and is second in rebounding (9.3 rpg). Stedman is averaging 12.1 ppg and 6.6 rpg.

NU is holding opponents to 38 percent shooting and are fourth in the conference in rebounding margin at +2.3.