Women's Basketball | 12/19/2014 10:12:00 AM

STORYLINES
Wayne State (5-1 overall, 3-1 GLIAC) will play its final two non-conference games this weekend as it hosts its Holiday Classic.  Northwood will play the first game each day with the Warriors participating in the nightcap.  Salem International (0-12) and Bellarmine (5-1) will represent the other two conferences in the Midwest Region.

IN THE POLLS
WSU is ranked 11th this week in the WBCA/USA Today National Poll, a week after the highest ranking (8th) in program history.  The Warriors are ranked 14th by the Massey Rankings and 26th in the D2SIDA poll.  Wayne State was predicted to finish first in the South Division in the GLIAC Preseason Media Poll.  Returning All-American Shareta Brown was voted to the All-GLIAC South Division First Team in balloting conducted by the league's head coaches.  Junior Destiny Lavita-Stephens earned a spot on the South Division Second Team.

THE SERIES
The Warriors will face Salem International for the first time on Friday.

Wayne State is 1-1 in the all-time series against Bellarmine.  The Knights won at home on Nov. 18, 1995 by a 77-29 score in the Electric Derby Classic Tournament.  Last season, the Warriors claimed a 70-60 victory in BU's Holiday Tournament.

LAST TIME OUT
Wayne State improved to 5-1 overall and 3-1 in the GLIAC with a 69-57 road win at Northern Michigan Monday afternoon.

In a tightly contested match that saw 10 lead changes and 12 ties, it was strong defense and superb free throw shooting down the stretch by the Warriors to knock off the Wildcats.

The game was tied at 48 with 7:45 remaining after a bucket by NMU's Kendall Martenet.  Jackie Jones hit a jumper and after a Wildcat turnover Christina Green scored from inside.  Northern Michigan was able to get within one (54-53) following a conventional three-point play Lauren Gruber with 5:08 left.

Another jumper by Green and a pair of free throws by Shareta Brown increased the margin to five (58-53).  With Wayne State leading 60-57 and the shot clock winding down, Jones drained a triple with 2:09 remaining to push the lead to six (63-57).

After a missed lay-up by Martenet, Brown scored from inside to make it an eight-point game.

The Warriors outscored the hosts 21-9 after the game was knotted at 48.

Brown finished with game-high totals of 27 points and 19 rebounds as WSU held a 43-32 edge in rebounding.  Jones contributed 16 points, three assists and two steals, while Green added 13 points and eight rebounds off the bench.  Ondrea Hughes chipped in with four blocks, two assists and two steals.

Alyssa Colla led NMU with 20 points, while Courtney Lemon had 15 points and Gruber totaled 14 points and a game-best four assists.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Salem International is 0-12 overall having been outscored by an average of 26 points per game this season.  Senior guard Inkera Patterson is one of three Tigers averaging in double figures at 14.0 points per game.  She is shooting a team best 51 percent (40-of-79) from the floor.  Senior forward Shakinah Haggins (11.9 ppg) and junior guard Samantha Aikens (11.0) also average in double digits, with Aikens leading the squad with 27 steals.  Haggins has a team-leading 6.8 rebounds per contest.  Aikens and junior forward Alexus Cooper are tied for the team lead with five blocks.  Senior forward Amanda Jackson has accumulated a team-high 46 assists, while freshman guard Courtney LittleDog leads SIU with 12 triples.

Bellarmine is off to a 5-1 start with five straight wins since a last-second loss in the season opener at home to North Alabama.  Sophomore guard Whitney Hartlage (14.) and freshman forward Beth Bowers (11.4) lead the Knights in scoring who have eight players averaging over six points per contest.  Hartlage has connected on a team-best 15 triples, while Bowers leads the squad in field goal percentage at 62.9 (22-for-35).  Junior guard Mackenzie Martinez leads BU in both assists (30) and steals (15), while averaging a team-best 29.0 minutes per game.  Senior forward Morgan Clemons has started all six games and has a team-high 45 rebounds while shooting 50 percent (16-of-32) from the field.

NATIONAL STATISTICS
Prior to Monday's game, Wayne State was sixth in all of Division II in team field goal percentage (47.8%), while ranking 23rd in scoring margin (+17.6).  The Warriors were ranked 13th in rebounding margin (+10.6), 18th in field goal percentage defense (33.9%), 32nd in scoring defense (57.6 ppg), and 25th in three-point field percentage defense (25.0%).

In terms of individual national statistics, Shareta Brown leads the nation in defensive rebounds per game (11.0) and also in total rebounds per contest (16.2).  Brown is 20th in scoring (21.2 ppg), 18th in field goal percentage (60.7%) and sixth in offensive rebounds per game (5.0).

In terms of active Division II players, Brown is first in career points (2,037), scoring average (19.8 ppg), rebounds (1,038), field goals made (701), free throws made (600) and attempted (823) as well as double-doubles (52).  Both her free throws made and attempted totals are first among all active NCAA players (Divisions I, II and III combined), while her double-doubles total is now two more than Central Michigan's Crystal Bradford who has 50.  Brown ranks second in Division II in career field goal percentage (59.3%), sixth in rebounding average (10.1 rpg), eighth in field goals attempted (1,183) and eighth in games played (103 - 68 with Detroit and 35 at WSU).  Jackie Jones is seventh in assists average (3.83) and ninth in total assists (364).

Brown has 209 career assists, 73 blocked shots and 155 steals, while shooting 37.2 percent (35-of-94) from beyond the arc and 72.9 percent from the charity stripe.

NEXT UP
Following this weekend's Holiday Classic tournament, the Warriors will host Grand Valley State (Jan. 2 at 5:30 p.m.) and Ferris State (Jan. 4 at 1 p.m.) to start 2015.

COMCAST/XFINITY/ALL-ACCESS
Beginning on Jan. 17th every women's and men's basketball home game will be broadcast live throughout the state of Michigan on Comcast CN900.  Sean Baligian, Ryan Ermanni, Rod Beard and Joe Abramson will bring you the action.  Every home game will have a video webcast through WSUAthletics.com.  Cliff Russell will serve as the broadcaster with Ryan Wooley filling in on Dec. 19.

ALL-NEW MATTHAEI
The Matthaei has received a face lift over the course of the past decade. In January of 2014, a new scoreboard and video board were installed which features live action and replays. During the offseason, the Warriors added a new parquet floor and the sub-floor (circa 1965) was replaced. And finally a new basketball office expansion was completed in the fall on the northwest corner of the Matthaei. The new expansion includes six coaches offices, a theater-style film room and a reception area.