CEDARVILLE, Ohio – The Wayne State University women's basketball team (6-4 overall) concluded non-league play with an 87-78 triumph at Cedarville University (7-5 overall) Wednesday evening.

HOW IT HAPPENED

A closely battled first 5:30 saw three ties and WSU never trailing until a conventional three-point play by CU's Emily Williams gave the hosts a 9-8 advantage.

After four consecutive points by the Warriors on back-to-back buckets by sophomore guard Shannon Wilson (West Bloomfield, Mich. / Bloomfield Hills) and senior forward Ashley Wilson (Portage, Mich. / Northern), the Yellow Jackets ended the opening stanza on a 16-4 run to lead 25-16 after 10 minutes.

Wayne State pulled within one (26-25) by starting the second quarter on a 9-1 run, but Cedarville answered with a 10-2 spurt to regain the nine point margin (36-27) at the mid-point of the second period.

A 7-0 run by the Warriors made it a two-point contest (36-34), but a second-chance three pointer by CU's Taylor Vander Plas increased the home squad's lead to five.  

The Yellow Jackets led 41-37 at intermission despite shooting just 37 percent (14-of-38) from the floor compared to 43 percent (16-of-37) for the Warriors as the hosts made 10-of-13 (77 percent) from the charity stripe, while WSU attempted just six foul shots.

WSU cut its deficit to two twice (41-39, 43-41) in the first 60 seconds of the third quarter, before Cedarville went on a 9-3 run to open an eight-point advantage (52-44) at the 6:48 mark on a pair of free throws by Kaitlyn Holm.

A 14-0 spurt by the Warriors in less than a three-minute span gave WSU the lead for good.  Junior Ajai Meeks (Detroit, Mich. / Pershing) starting the scoring spree with a basket, and senior guard Brittany Streetman (Warren, Mich. / Lincoln) followed with a steal and fast-break lay-up.  Two foul shots by Ashley Wilson made it a two-point game.

Streetman then went on a scoring bonanza totaling eight points in 32 seconds to turn a two-point deficit into a six-point lead on back-to-back triples and a jumper.

Cedarville pulled within one on two occasions but sophomore Nina Foster (Lansing, Mich. / Everett) made two free throws the first time, then junior forward Christina Green (Southfield, Mich. / Lathrup) scored from inside.

WSU held a three-point lead (64-61) heading into the final quarter.  A steal by senior guard Kristen Long (Durand, Mich.) led to a fast-break lay-up by Streetman to start the scoring then Streetman had a steal and fast-break hoop to increase Wayne State's lead to seven (68-61).

The Yellow Jackets made just one field goal in the first four minutes of the fourth period as the Warriors pushed their margin to 10 (74-64) as Green grabbed an offensive rebound and made two foul shots.

Cedarville cut its deficit to five (74-69), but Green split a pair and Shannon Wilson drained a three-pointer for a nine point lead (78-69) with 3:27 left.

Wayne State made 9-of-10 from the charity stripe in the final three minutes to secure the win.

WSU LEADERS

Streetman totaled a game-high 24 points to lead four Warriors in double figures.  Streetman also had three steals and two assists.

Green notched a career-best 19 points, while Ashley Wilson had her second double-double of the season with 10 points and 12 rebounds.

Shannon Wilson recorded 12 points and a game-best four assists.

TEAM STATS RECAP

WSU shot 46 percent (31-of-68) from the floor compared to 39 percent (25-of-65) for Cedarville.

The Yellow Jackets made six triples in 24 attempts (25 percent), while the Warriors connected on five of 17 from long range (29 percent).

Wayne State nearly matched CU at the foul line making 77 percent (20-of-26) with Cedarville shooting 79 percent (22-of-28) from the foul line.

LEADING THE OPPOSITION

Kayla Linkous garnered a team-high 20 points including 8-of-10 from the foul line.  She also grabbed 10 rebounds for a double-double.  Abby Wolford tallied 19 points with Kaysie Brittenham totaling 12 points and three assists.

UP NEXT

Wayne State will resume GLIAC play this weekend with league contests at Grand Valley State (Saturday at 1 p.m.) and Ferris State (Sunday at 1 p.m.).
 

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