WSU Women's Basketball Games Notes (PDF)

Setting the Stage	Wayne State Women's Basketball
Opponents	Michigan Tech (12-2, 10-0 GLIAC) & Northern Michigan (11-3, 8-2 GLIAC)
Times	Thursday / 5:30 PM & Saturday / 1 PM
Location	Detroit, Mich. (Matthaei Center)
Web	Twitter: @WayneStWarriors | Live Stats | #WarriorWBB
Television	Thursday: Comcast CN 900
Video/Audio	Warrior All-Access
Opponent Information	Michigan Tech Women's Basketball  |  Northern Michigan Women's Basketball

GAME STORYLINES
The #21-ranked Warriors (12-2, 9-1 GLIAC) return to Detroit for two key matchups with GLIAC North Division rivals Michigan Tech (12-2, 10-0) and Northern Michigan (11-3, 8-2).  All three teams currently boast the top records in the conference, having started off the league season a combined 27-3.
    
Wayne State had its 10-game win streak, which was tied for the third-longest in program history, snapped at Northwood on Thursday, Jan. 16, but rebounded on Saturday by scoring a season-high point total in a 94-74 victory at Saginaw Valley.  The Warriors are ranked in the Top 25 of the USA Today Sports Coaches Poll, released Tuesday, for the second straight week.  WSU was ranked No. 20 last week.
    
Beginning with the Huskies on Thursday, WSU has five of its next seven games at home, four of them, including the contest against MTU televised on Comcast CN 900.
    
Wayne State is second in the nation in field goal percentage (49.0 percent) and leads the GLIAC in scoring (79.3 points per game). Individually, Shareta Brown ranks first in Division II in field goal percentage (67.1).
 
SCOUTING MICHIGAN TECH
The Huskies are riding an 11-game win streak entering Thursday's showdown against the Warriors.  Michigan Tech hasn't lost since an 84-80 loss at Minnesota-Duluth on Nov. 23.  MTU is in the top three in the GLIAC in field goal percentage (44.1), three-point percentage (37.5) and free throw percentage (76.1).
    
A sophomore trio all average in double figures to lead the Huskies.  Mackenzie Perttu averages 14.6 points per game, while classmates Kylie Moxley and Danielle Blake average 12.4 and 11.4 ppg, respectively.  Moxley is sinking 60.5 percent of her shots to lead the team.  Blake leads the squad at 6.4 rebounds per game.
    
Kim Cameron is in her fourth year as head coach in 2013-14.  Cameron, who was a four-year letterwiner for the Michigan Tech as a player, guided the Huskies to a national title in 2011 in her first season as coach.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. MICHIGAN TECH
Wayne State ended a nine-game MTU win streak in the series with a 55-53 victory on Feb. 14, 2013.    Overall, the two teams split in 2012-13, with the Huskies winning 77-56 on their home court.  Michigan Tech leads in the all-time series 36-16.  WSU is 10-16 at home in the series.

SCOUTING NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Entering a game at Saginaw Valley on Thursday, the Wildcats are 8-2 in their first 10 GLIAC games of the season.  NMU only had losses at Ashland and at home to Ferris State inside the conference so far.
    
Junior Alyssa Colla leads the Wildcats in scoring at 15.6 points per game and assists at 3.4 per game.  She is also hitting 47.9 percent of her three-point tries and makes a league-best 93.9 of her free throw attempts.
    
Northern Michigan is the league's best rebounding team at 42.4 rpg.  Sophomore Anna Liewen averages 6.2 boards per contest, while junior Abbey DeBruin (5.7 rpg) and Nea Makela (5.4 rpg) also grab more than five boards each game.
    
Ninth-year NMU head coach Troy Mattson reached the 100-win plateau in the team's second game of the season.

ALL-TIME SERIES VS. NORTHERN MICHIGAN
Wayne State won both matchups with Northern Michigan last season, including winning 87-70 at home on Feb. 16, 2013.  WSU is 20-28 all-time against NMU and 11-11 at home against the Wildcats.  Wayne State has won three of the last four contests overall, but three of the last four have also come down to four points or less.

GLIAC/NATIONAL LEADERS
Shareta Brown leads the conference in scoring (22.3 ppg), field goal percentage (67.1) and steals (2.7 spg).  She is second in the conference and ninth in the country in rebounding (11.2 rpg).  Her points per game average also puts her in 13th nationally.
    
Imari Redfield is fourth in the GLIAC in field goal percentage at 60.2 percent.  Jackie Jones is third in assists per game (3.6).

PLAYER OF THE WEEK HONORS
Shareta Brown earned GLIAC North Division Player of the Week honors on Jan. 13, one week after teammate Imari Redfield also was the recipient of the weekly conference award.  Brown averaged 19.5 points and 8.5 rebounds and shot 70 percent from the field in helping lead the Warriors to victories at Hillsdale and Findlay.

LAST TIME OUT
The Wayne State University women's basketball program returned to its winning ways by recording a 94-74 triumph at Saginaw Valley State University (6-7 overall, 4-6 GLIAC).  With the victory, the Warriors improved to 12-2 overall and 9-1 in the GLIAC.

The game was tied three times in the first three minutes before Destiny Lavita-Stephens drained a triple snapping a 6-6 deadlock.  Shareta Brown then scored three baskets, all from inside, over a stretch of WSU's next five possessions putting the Warriors ahead 17-12.  Following a Cardinal bucket, Brown then set-up Lavita-Stephens for another three-pointer which ignited a 10-0 run by Wayne State for a 27-14 advantage just past the mid-point of the first half.

Despite WSU controlling play, nine of the last 10 fouls of the first half were called on the Warriors helping the hosts go on a 25-17 run over the final nine-plus minutes.  Kayla Womack scored 12 consecutive points for SVSU in a span of less than 5:30.  Cardinal Kristin Greene drained a triple on the final possession before intermission pulling Saginaw Valley within five (44-39) at the break.

WSU opened up a eight-point margin (49-41) in the first minute of the second half after a conventional three-point play by Brown.  SVSU cut its deficit to two, 53-51, on a Womack triple just 3:30 after halftime, but Lavita-Stephens answered with a three-pointer of her own to start a 17-6 spurt by the Warriors. With a 68-57 lead, Brown and Imari Redfield combined to score the next 15 WSU points as the visitors increased its lead to 83-68 with just over four minutes left and cruised to the victory.

Brown tallied her seventh double-double of the season with game-high totals of 28 points (a season best for Brown) and 12 rebounds along with a team-best four assists.  Redfield, coming off the bench for the first time this year, notched her first double-double of her career with 19 points and 11 rebounds.

Lavita-Stephens chipped in with 13 points and made three triples marking the fourth game this year with at least three three-pointers.  Wayne State held a decisive 50-20 edge in rebounding with three Warriors in double digits.  In addition to the aforementioned Brown and Redfield, Kayla Bridges, totaled 10 rebounds, eight points and a game-high three steals.

COACH LOHR
Carrie Lohr, who was named the 12th head coach in the history of women's basketball at WSU on May 11, 2011, is in her third season guiding the Warrior program.  She was voted the 2012-13 GLIAC Coach of the Year by her peers after leading Wayne State to a share of the GLIAC North Division regular-season title, the first for the WSU women's basketball program since the 1980-81 season.  Lohr also guided the Warriors to their first NCAA tournament victory (63-58 over Findlay) as well as the school's inaugural appearance in the NCAA Regional Championship game.  
    
She recorded her 200th collegiate coaching victory on March 16, 2013, with WSU's 70-60 triumph over Wisconsin-Parkside in the second round of the NCAA Tournament.  BCAM selected Lohr as the 2012-13 Women's College Coach of the Year.

2012-13 RECAP
The Warriors won a share of the GLIAC North Division title, advanced to the GLIAC tournament semifinals for the second time in school history and secured an NCAA tournament berth for the second time in program history.  WSU won its first two ever NCAA tournament contests and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen before falling at eventual national champion Ashland, 72-63, in a game which WSU led 61-60 with 4:34 remaining.  
    
Last season, the Warriors went 22-9 overall and 17-5 in GLIAC play while winning a share of the GLIAC North Division title. The 22 wins were one shy of the program record achieved in 1980-81 while the 17 conference wins were the most all-time.

COMCAST/XFINITY
Six games will be broadcast on Comcast Channel 900 in 2013-14.  WSU entertains Tiffin on Dec. 5, Michigan Tech on Jan. 23 and Ferris State on Jan. 30.  There are three televised dates in February with Wayne State hosting Northwood (Feb. 6), Saginaw Valley (Feb. 8) and Grand Valley (Feb. 22).  Ryan Ermanni, Rod Beard, Joe Abramson and Kevin Brechmacher will call the action this season.  The games will also be replayed the week following the live event.

ON THE CALL
Former Tartar great Shay Lewis will handle play-by-play duties for home games on Warrior All-Access, a live video webcast of every contest from the Matthaei.  Lewis scored 991 points for the Green and Gold while starting all 78 games in her three seasons (1995-98) in Detroit.  She also totaled 449 rebounds, 191 assists and 139 steals.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
The 2013-14 school year will mark the fourth season of Warrior All-Access at WSUAthletics.com.  Not only will all home WSU basketball, football and volleyball games be available for viewing by a world-wide audience on a pay-per-view basis, but also the Warrior Daily ~ a video each weekday, available for free on WSUAthletics.com featuring interviews with WSU coaches, staff and student-athletes.
    
Fans wanting to watch Wayne State home events via Warrior All-Access will need a high-speed internet connection and Windows Media Player 9 or higher.  Games will be sold on an individual basis with special viewing packages also available.  Warrior All-Access will also feature On-Demand Audio and Video with the stored archived video and audio on WSUAthletics.com.