Men's Basketball | 11/22/2016 2:35:00 PM
DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's basketball program (1-1) will look to carry the momentum gained from a 79-59 win over Alderson Broaddus on Nov. 12th to conclude the G-MAC/GLIAC Challenge as it hosts Central State (Wednesday at 5 p.m.) and Lewis (Saturday at 3 p.m.) this week. The Warriors play four straight at home beginning on Wednesday including the first two GLIAC games of the season on Dec. 1st and Dec. 3rd.
THE SERIES
Wayne State leads the all-time series 11-6 over Central State. The Marauders have won two of the last three meetings. However, WSU is 8-1 all-time at home against CSU. The teams began playing in 1975 and last met in 2014 in the G-MAC/GLIAC Challenge at Tiffin.
WSU trails 4-6 in the all-time series against Lewis. The non-conference matchup has been played each of the past seven seasons. The Flyers have won the last three meetings. The Warriors are 3-1 at home in the series that began in 1986.
SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Former G-MAC member and now SIAC school, Central State enters the week at 2-1 overall. Head coach Joseph Price is in his third season after spending two seasons as the head coach at Grambling State. He has also spent time at Lamar, Morehead State, Ball State and IUPUI as an assistant. CSU has four players averaging at least 10 points led by senior guard Keilan Blanks at 15.7 points per contest.
Lewis begins the Holiday week at 1-3 overall and has played four GLIAC programs. The Flyers will continue its GLIAC tour on Nov. 22nd against Hillsdale before visiting Detroit. Head coach Scott Trost is in his 11th season and has led Lewis to 20-win seasons in each of the past three seasons, including a GLVC Tournament Championship last season. The Flyers return 2016 GLVC Co-Freshman of the Year Delaney Blaylock to the roster. Blaylock started 32 games as a rookie and averaged 12.3 points and 5.9 rebounds per game for the Flyers a season ago.
LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors rolled past Alderson Broaddus 79-59 on Nov. 12th. Four Warriors scored in double-digits to lead an impressive offensive attack that netted 44 first-half points. Wayne State never trailed in the contest. Wayne State blitzed ABU to begin the game, pitching a shutout during the first seven minutes, leading 17-0.
Marcus Moore kept the Warriors comfortably ahead 26-5 with a layup at the 10-minute mark. A turnaround jumper from
Joel Ndondo gave WSU a 32-6 advantage with just over seven minutes to play before halftime. WSU set the tone early in the second half, scoring the first six points to take a 50-19 lead at the 18:35 mark. Wayne State would lead by as many as 31 in the second half and the Battlers would not come closer than 20 points until there was 1:29 remaining.
COACHING MILESTONE
David Greer is three wins away from matching Ron Hammye's program record of 212 victories, which he collected in his 13 seasons (1988-01).
HOME OPENERS
Under head coach
David Greer (since 2001-02), WSU is 12-3 in home openers. Wayne State has dropped its last two, but won 10 straight from 2001-02 until 2010-11.
WHO TO WATCH
Junior guard
Marcus Moore has been WSU's go-to scorer through the first two games this season. The Lansing native helped WSU top Alderson-Broaddus 79-59 with 18 points, four rebounds and five assists. He also scored 10 points, pulled down seven rebounds and dished out five assists in the season-opening game at Kentucky Wesleyan.
LOPSIDED WIN
The 20-point win over Alderson Broaddus was the highest margin of victory since a 67-42 win over Lake Erie on Jan. 21, 2016.
A TALE OF TWO HALVES
Although it is still early, WSU is outscoring opponents 74-54 in the first half this season. On the other side, opponents are winning the second half 76-59 after two games.
IN THE POLLS
The Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) announced its men's basketball preseason poll and Wayne State was predicted to finish in a tie for sixth place in the GLIAC North Division with 15 points. Saginaw Valley State was tabbed as the top team in the North Division, while Findlay was named the preseason favorite in the South Division.
AN EXPERIENCED GROUP
WSU returns 10 letterwinners and its top eight scorers from last season. The group of 10 has played a combined 420 games and 9,095 minutes.
OUTLOOK
The Warriors compiled a 7-18 overall record along with a 7-15 mark in the GLIAC a season ago. On the top of head coach
David Greer's to-do list is return WSU to the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since 2013. Coach Greer led the Warriors to a GLIAC Tournament title in 2011 and a share of the regular- season title in 2012-13.
Headlining that group of experienced players returning is junior
Ronald Booth, graduate student
Michael Lewis, junior
Marcus Moore and senior
Clark Bishop. Booth led the Warriors in scoring last season at 15.5 points per game, while Lewis averaged 11.7 points and 6.2 rebounds per game. Moore chipped in 7.8 points and was the team's best passer at 3.3 assists per contest. Bishop also tallied 7.8 points per night for a squad that played the ninth toughest schedule in Division II.
COMCAST/XFINITY
Every home men's basketball home game beginning in 2017 will be aired live throughout the state of Michigan on Comcast CN 900. Sean Baligian, Rod Beard and Joe Abramson will call the action.
LIVE ON WDTK
Kevin Brechmacher will call every contest live on the radio on WDTK - The Patriot (1400 AM / 92.7 FM). Fans can also stream the action online newstalk1400.us.
