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DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball team are GLIAC champions.

The Warriors (20-6, 17-5 GLIAC) clinched the outright GLIAC regular season title Thursday with an 80-74 Senior Night victory over Lake Superior State (5-23, 5-17 GLIAC) at the Matthaei Center. Wayne State's victory, coupled with Michigan Tech's loss Thursday, gave WSU the league title and the No. 1 seed for the upcoming GLIAC Tournament.

WSU also made some history with its GLIAC title. Wayne State, which shared the GLIAC North Division crown last season, earned its first conference championship since the 1980-81 WSU team. At 17-5 in the GLIAC, the Warriors also tied the 2012-13 squad for most conference wins in a single season. With its 20th victory Thursday, Wayne State also has back-to-back 20-win seasons for the first time in program history.

The Warriors had five players score in double figures, led by junior Kayla Bridges (Canton, Mich. / Canton), who scored 21 points off the bench on 8-of-9 shooting. Imari Redfield (Detroit, Mich. / Country Day), WSU's lone senior, added 14 points and 11 rebounds for her third double-double of the season. Junior Jackie Jones (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King) and sophomore Destiny Lavita-Stephens (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Goodrich) each scored 13 points, while junior Shareta Brown (Pontiac, Mich. / Grand Blanc) tallied 10 points for WSU.

Wayne State trailed 37-30 at halftime after shooting just 30.8 percent in the first half. Bridges didn't miss from the field in the first half for the Warriors, going 6-for-6 and adding four free throws to score 16 points. LSSU shot 53 percent in the opening 20 minutes and added 11 assists.

The Warriors came out a different team after the break, however, scoring eight of the first 11 points to pull to within two points, 40-38, at the 17:05 mark of the second half.

Jones converted on two free throws as WSU would tie the game, 42-42, at the 14:31 mark and Wayne State would go on to take the lead, 47-46, with 12:51 remaining on a three-point play by Bridges. The game was back-and-forth for the next five minutes before Jones converted on a jumper in the paint to give Wayne State a 61-59 lead with 7:39 left in the game. Jones scored 11 of her 13 points in the second half.

Jones' bucket began a 7-0 run for Wayne State as the Warriors went up 66-59 with 6:01 left. Junior Ondrea Hughes (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Loy Norrix) scored the last five points as Wayne State held its largest lead of the second half.

Lake Superior battled all night, however, and tied the game for the 12th time, 66-66, with just 3:24 left on the clock. Redfield followed with a go-ahead jumper and Lavita-Stephens' third three-pointer of the game made it 71-66 with 2:43 left. LSSU's Laura VanEs again tied the game, 74-74, on a lay-up with 65 seconds left on the clock.

But Wayne State would not be deterred down the stretch. After a strong defensive possession in which LSSU couldn't get a good look at the rim, Brown took a feed from Redfield and went straight to the hoop for the go-ahead lay-up. Her bucket gave WSU a 76-74 lead with just 25 seconds remaining in the game.

The Warriors followed by forcing LSSU into a five-second sideline violation turnover. WSU then clinched the game by going 4-for-4 from the free throw line in the final 17 seconds. Lavita-Stephens and Jones each connected on both of their shots as WSU clinched the victory.

Jones was three rebounds away from a triple-double, as along with her 13 points, she had 10 assists and seven rebounds. Brown notched her 16th double-double of the season with 14 rebounds to go along with her 10 points.

WSU was active all night on the boards and out-rebounded Lake Superior, 52-32. Wayne State had 23 offensive rebounds. After going 0-for-8 in the first half from deep, the Warriors went 4-of-9 in the second half from beyond the arc. For the game, WSU shot 41.3 percent from the floor compared to 54.1 percent for the Lakers.

April LaCross led LSSU with 21 points and six rebounds, while VanEs added 13 points for Lake Superior.

The Warriors are the No. 1 seed for the GLIAC Tournament and will host eighth-seeded Hillsdale College in a quarterfinal matchup at 7 p.m. on Wednesday, March 5. Wayne State won at Hillsdale, 88-85, on Jan. 9 in the only matchup this season between the two teams.

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