Post-Game Podcasts - Head Coach Gloria Bradley - Lena Thomas
Feb. 3, 2011
Detroit, Mich. -- The Wayne State University women's basketball team (6-13 overall, 6-7 GLIAC) won for the third time in the last four outings with a thrilling 59-57 triumph over visiting Northern Michigan University (8-12 overall, 3-10 GLIAC) Thursday evening at the Matthaei.
The Warriors led by five (55-50) with 6:45 remaining after a jumper by freshman Alison Bouman (Grandville, Mich. / Calvin Christian
). The Wildcats tallied the next five points as WSU was held scoreless for the next 4:30. Kellie Rietveld scored three points, all from the foul line, to lead NMU during the run.
Sophomore Phaebre Colbert (Grand Rapids, Mich. / Forest Hills Northern
) sank a pair of foul shots with 2:16 left giving the hosts a two-point advantage. Northern's Staci Beckel knotted the game for the fourth time with two free throws with 42.4 seconds remaining.
Sophomore Amelia Davis (Temperance, Mich. / Bedford) grabbed an offensive rebound of her own missed shot in the final 30 seconds and the Warriors worked the clock until freshman Lena Thomas (Bloomfield Twp., Mich. / Bloomfield Hills Andover
) drove down the lane for the game-winning lay-up with 14.9 seconds left. It was Thomas' lone bucket of the contest.
NMU had two chances to tie the game in the final five seconds but shots by Chelsea Lyons and Hillary Bowling failed to go in.
The Wildcats controlled most of the first half as WSU never had a lead, but did manage to tie the game at 19 on a jumper by sophomore Paige Sickmiller (Romeo, Mich.) and again at 21 on a pair of free throws by sophomore Deanna Crumpton (Kentwood, Mich. / East Kentwood
). Northern led by as many as seven, 11-4 at the 14:28 mark, in the early going.
WSU shot 52 percent (13-of-25) from the floor in the second half as it out-scored the guests 32-27. Wayne State finished the contest 10-of-10 from the charity stripe.
Northern Michigan was held to 28 percent (9-of-32) in the final 20 minutes after shooting 43 percent (12-of-28) in the first half.
Crumpton tallied a game-best 18 points and tied for team-high rebounding honors (7) with Davis. Colbert contributed 14 points and three blocked shots. Both Davis and Thomas dished out four assists as the Warriors garnered 17 assists on 24 made field goals.
Erin Powers had a double-double for NMU with 10 points and 10 rebounds. Beckel recorded a team-high 17 points, while Lyons added 13 points.
WSU will play the middle game of its three-game homestand on Saturday with a 3 p.m. tip-off against Michigan Tech.
