WAYNE STATE MEN'S BASKETBALL WEEKLY GAME NOTES

2011-12 RECORDS:
Wayne State (14-7, 11-4 GLIAC)
Northwood (14-7, 9-5 GLIAC)

SERIES:
WSU leads Northwood 35-24

LAST MEETING:
at Northwood 69, WSU 63 (2/12/2011)

RADIO:
WDTK 1400 AM (wdtkam.com)

VIDEO:
http://www.wsuathletics.com/showcase/#liveevents

LIVE STATS:
livestats.prestosports.com/waynestate/
    
GAME 22 STORYLINES

Wayne State won twice in the Upper Peninsula last week to move within a 1/2 game of second place in the overall GLIAC standings.

The Warriors begin a three-game homestand with a 3 p.m. tip on Saturday against Northwood.

ALL-TIME SERIES

Despite dropping four of the last five meetings, Wayne State still holds a 35-24 edge in the all-time series against the Timberwolves.

The Warriors have a 20-9 record at the Matthaei and have been victorious in three of the last four contests in Detroit.

NORTHERN MICHIGAN RECAP

WSU extended its winning streak to four games by defeating Northern Michigan, 72-55, Feb. 2 at the Berry Events Center.

The game was tight in the opening half, seeing nine total lead changes. The Wildcats were up by five points (10-5) early on, and up by three points (28-25) with 4:50 left in the first half before the Warriors came out roaring.

Bryan Coleman hit a three-pointer 3:54 before halftime to put the Warriors on top for good (30-28) and open the flood gates for the offense. WSU scored 16 points in the final five minutes of the first half.

In a moment of de ja vu, Stacey Waters hit a halftime buzzer beating 25-footer, just as teammate Ian Larkin did last time out against Lake Erie.  Wayne State went into the locker room with the largest lead by either team at 10 points (41-31).

Both teams shot well from the floor in the first half with the Warriors making 52 percent (14-of-27), and the Wildcats connecting on 44 percent (11-of-25).  WSU was five-of-eight (63 percent) from beyond the arc, compared to 22 percent (two-of-nine) for Northern Michigan.

In the second half, Wayne State went on an 18-1 tear that lasted 7:45 as NMU missed its first 11 field goal attempts.

Ike Udanoh led four Warriors in double figures with 19 points.  Coleman recorded 18 points off the bench.  Larkin and Waters had 12 and 10 points, respectively.   Gerald Williams-Taylor had a team-best nine rebounds.  NMU's DeAndre Taylor led all scorers with 21 points despite shooting six-of-17 from the floor.

MICHIGAN TECH RECAP

WSU extended the GLIAC's longest active winning streak to five games with a 60-54 triumph at Michigan Tech.

WSU led the first 10 minutes of the contest, even building up a 16-8 advantage as Larkin made three three-pointers in less than two minutes and Cole Prophet added five points of his own.

The Huskies answered back with eight consecutive points, including two triples by Ben Stelzer, to knot the game at 18.  An MTU three-pointer gave the hosts its only lead at 26-24, but Larkin made a lay-up in the final seconds to tie the game at 26.

Udanoh and Larkin each made baskets to start the second half giving the Warriors a 30-26 advantage.  Michigan Tech would trail by two (30-28, 32-30) twice early on but wouldn't get any closer than three the rest of the way.

Dale Brundidge connected on a jumper with 42 seconds remaining making it 54-49.  On the ensuing possession, Hojnacki missed a triple and Udanoh made a pair of free throws giving WSU a 56-49 lead.

Udanoh and Haidar tied for game-high scoring honors with 15 points, with Udanoh recording a game-high nine rebounds.

ON THE BENCH

David Greer, just the ninth head coach in 94 years of WSU basketball, is in his 11th season at WSU with a 163-136 record.

He is the fifth-longest tenured coach at WSU. The 22 victories by the Warriors in 2010-11 were the most since the 1998-99 NCAA qualifying squad compiled a 25-5 record.

Wayne State's 14 GLIAC wins last year are the most since the same 1998-99 team took first place with a 16-3 mark.

Jeff Rekeweg has compiled a 24-25 mark in his second season at Northwood.

In his 16th season as a collegiate head coach, Rekeweg has a 289-223 record which included 14 years at St. Francis, an NAIA school in Fort Wayne.

SCOUTING NORTHWOOD

The Timberwolves are one of the hottest teams in the GLIAC having won four straight including Wednesday's 106-99 triple overtime victory at Saginaw Valley.

Bobby Lewis is the lone player averaging in double figures at 15.8 points per game.  However, four other players are scoring over eight points a contest in Andrew VanDierenDonck (9.6), Darvin Ham (9.1), Wes Wilcox (9.0) and Booker Stoudmire (8.2).

Ham, who had a team-best 22 points in the win over the Cardinals, is shooting a squad-high 52.5 percent (63-of-120) from the floor.

Lewis has made 32 triples as well as a team-high 78 free throws.  Wilcox leads NU with 141 rebounds, while Cameron Joyce has a team-best 118 assists.  Stoudmire and Lewis are tied for the team lead with 17 steals, while Bobby Gibson has a squad-best 21 blocked shots.

GLIAC PLAYOFF PICTURE

The top three teams in each division will qualify for the GLIAC tournament, along with the next best two conference winning percentages.

The eight playoff teams are then seeded 1-8 based on conference winning percentage for the quarterfinal round, which will be played on Wednesday, Feb. 29.

Hillsdale and Wayne State have already clinched a spot in the post-season.

WSU's magic number to clinch a home playoff game is three over both Ashland and Grand Valley, and four against both Northwood and Michigan Tech.

The number will be reduced with each Warrior victory or a loss by that institution.