Game Notes (PDF)
DETROIT -- A busy six day stretch for Wayne State University men's basketball (8-7, 6-6 GLIAC) will begin with a home matchup with Ferris State (6-10, 5-7 GLIAC) and an important game at Grand Valley (12-4, 8-4 GLIAC).
GAME STORYLINES
The Warrior defense is playing the best it has all season. WSU allowed 18 points against Michigan Tech on Thursday during the first half and just 52 for the game, which is 23 points belowe the Huskies' season average. WSU also held the GLIAC's leading scorer, Austin Armga to just 16 points. Armaga is averaging 24.3 points per game this season. The Green & Gold followed that performance with a 15 point second-half against Northern Michigan on Saturday and just 51 points for the game. The 15-point half is the lowest a team has scored against WSU this season. Wayne State ranks fourth in the league, allowing just 67.5 points per game and just 60.2 points per game over the last four contests. On Saturday, WSU won after trailing at halftime for just the second time this season.
Jamar Ragland led the Warriors in scoring with a career-high 17 points on Saturday, becoming the sixth Warrior to lead the team in scoring this season.
SCOUTING FERRIS STATE / GRAND VALLEY
The Bulldogs of Ferris State enter Thursday's game 6-10 overall and 5-7 in league games. FSU is currently in the midst of a seven-game losing streak, which comes after a six-game winning streak. Drew Lehman leads FSU in scoring at 12.8 points per game. Jared Stolicker is pulling down 7.5 rebounds per GLIAC contest. Head coach Andy Bronkema is in his first season at the helm after six seasons as an assistant at FSU. Grand Valley is 12-4 overall and 8-4 in GLIAC action. Ryan Sabin is the Lakers' go-to scorer, averaging 14.1 points per game while Chaz Rollins leads the team on the glass at 6.4 rebounds per game. Head coach Ric Wesley is in his 10th season leading GVSU and carries a 217-73 career record.
ALL-TIME SERIES
WSU trails in the all-time series for both of its opponents this week. Ferris State holds a slight series advantage 40-38. Coach Greer is 11-7 and 6-1 at home all-time against the Bulldogs. Grand Valley leads the all-time series 44-30. Coach Greer is 9-8 and 4-5 on the road all-time against the Lakers.
LAST TIME OUT
WSU began the second half of the GLIAC schedule with a 61-51 triumph over visiting Northern Michigan on Saturday afternoon at the Matthaei. The Warriors never trailed by more than a point for almost the entire first half until Wildcat Marcus Hall hit a jumper in the final second before intermission giving NMU a 36-34 lead. There were five ties (2, 15, 17, 19 and 34) in the opening 20 minutes which saw both teams shoot 60 percent (NMU 12-of-20, WSU 14-of-23). The Wayne State defensive pressure limited Northern Michigan to 15 second half points on 5-of-28 shooting (18 percent). Meanwhile, the Warriors shot 38 percent (8-of-21), but 50 percent from inside the arc.
Jamar Ragland tallied a game-high 17 points with
Bryan Coleman adding 16.
Chene Phillips was working on a triple-double and finished with a game-best nine rebounds, eight points along with a game-high seven assists. Ethan Blackwell led NMU with 14 points while Terry Nash, Hall and Justin Newell each added 10 points. Wayne State held a 36-20 edge in rebounding.
COACH GREER
David Greer is in his 13th season at the helm of the Warrior basketball program during the 2013-14 academic year. He is the fourth-longest tenured coach in program history. Greer, who has directed the Warriors to a 192-155 record, was voted the 2012-13 GLIAC Coach of the Year by his peers. Greer coached his 300th WSU (non-exhibition) game vs. Northwood on Feb. 11, 2012, and his 200th GLIAC game vs. Grand Valley on Feb. 18, 2012. Coach Greer passed Joel Mason for second place in victories with his 187th win in the victory over Ohio Dominican on Dec. 7.
NEAR TRIPLE-DOUBLE
In the 61-51 win over Northern Michigan on Saturday,
Chene Phillips flirted the the program's second triple-double. The senior guard finished with eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists in his 39 minutes of action. The program's only triple-double came from Shane Lawal. Lawal recorded the only triple-double in school history with 19 points, 11 rebounds and 10 blocks in win over Michigan Tech on Dec. 4, 2008. He finished the year with 71 blocked shots, while averaging 11.7 points per game along with 8.5 rebounds per contest. Lawal earned GLIAC South Division Second Team honors and was also voted to the GLIAC South Division All-Defensive team. Lawal was a member of the Orlando Magic's summer league team in 2013.
PRESEASON ALL-GLIAC
Chene Phillips (Detroit, Mich. / Renaissance) was a Second Team All-GLIAC selection by the league's head coaches. Phillips, a senior guard, was fourth on the Warriors averaging 11.5 points per game a season ago. A 6-foot-2 transfer after his sophomore season from Liberty University, Phillips started all 27 games for Wayne State last season and was first on the team in steals (45) and second on the squad in assists (94). Phillips also went to the charity stripe with great frequency, sinking 114 free throws last season.
Mike Hollingsworth (Utica, Mich.) was a First Team All-GLIAC selection before the season started. Hollingsworth will miss the entire season due to injury and will finish his career with 991 career points, which is 21st all-time.
COMCAST/XFINITY
Six games will be broadcast on Comcast/Xfinity Channel 900 in 2013-14, with home dates against Tiffin (Dec. 5), Michigan Tech (Jan. 23), Ferris State (Jan. 30), Northwood (Feb. 6), Saginaw Valley (Feb. 8), Grand Valley (Feb. 22) being shown throughout the state. Ryan Ermanni, Rod Beard, Joe Abramson and Kevin Brechmacher will provide Warriors fans with the live action.
ON THE CALL
Russ McNamara will call all of the men's action this season on 1400 AM and 92.7 FM The Patriot. Former Tartar and WSU Hall of Fame inductee Cliff Russell will provide analysis for every home game.
WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
The 2013-14 school year marks 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 and staff, and student-athletes. Fans wanting to watch Wayne State 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.
