DETROIT – The Wayne State University women's basketball team (4-6 overall, 2-3 GLIAC) lost its third straight contest falling 69-68 at home Thursday evening to the Ohio Dominican University Panthers (7-4 overall, 3-2 GLIAC).

HOW IT HAPPENED

The Warriors led by six points (52-46) entering the fourth quarter, and again led by six (54-48) following a Jessica Murphy (Oxford, Mich.) lay-up at the 8:48 mark.  WSU's advantage remained between two and six points until a jumper by Shannon Wilson (West Bloomfield, Mich. / Bloomfield Hills) increased the margin to seven (65-58) with 3:44 left.  ODU tallied the next five points to pull within two (65-63), before Ja'Nae Williams (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King) split a pair from the charity stripe with 2:38 remaining.

A jumper by Panther Madi Rittinger and two foul shots by Megan Eyre gave the visitors a one point lead at 67-66 with 31.6 seconds left.  After a blocked shot by Rittinger and a defensive rebound by ODU's Lauren Bates, Lindsey Blanford sank a pair of free throws with 11.5 seconds remaining pushing the WSU deficit to three (69-66).  Wilson made a lay-up with 0.5 seconds left to complete the scoring.

The first quarter was back-and-forth with five lead changes and five ties, with WSU holding the largest lead at four (17-13) at the end of the period.  Nastassja Chambers (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Arbor Prep) tallied 10 first stanza points for the Warriors as she was 4-of-5 from the field and 2-of-2 at the foul line.

Twice in the first three minutes of the second quarter, ODU cut the Wayne State advantage to two (19-17 and 22-20) but each time the Warriors answered with a triple, first by India Hawkins (Detroit, Mich. / Edison Public School Academy) and the second by Murphy.

With WSU holding a 27-20 lead with 5:02 left before intermission, the Panthers scored seven straight points to knot the game, before Daejia Hill (Muskegon, Mich. / Orchard View) split a pair of free throws giving the Warriors a 28-27 lead at halftime.

There were two ties and two lead changes in the third quarter as ODU took a 30-28 lead on a triple by Darian Rose and then led by three (33-30) following a long-range shot by Rittinger.  A conventional three-point play by Chambers tied the contest at 33-33.  The Warriors led the rest of the period and even led by eight (52-44) with 65 seconds left in the stanza, following a steal by Hill and a fast-break lay-up by Chambers.

TEAM STATS

Wayne State shot 39 percent (26-of-66) from the floor, compared to 42 percent (28-of-67) for ODU.  The Warriors were just 4-of-18 (22 percent) from beyond the arc, with the Panthers shooting 27 percent (6-of-22) from three-point range.  WSU was solid from the foul line making 12-of-15 for 80 percent, while Ohio Dominican made 7-of-10 from the charity stripe.  ODU had a 43-39 edge in rebounding and a 19-9 advantage in second-chance points.

WSU LEADERS

Chambers scored a game-high and a career-best 23 points, while also tying for the team lead in assists with three.  Wilson contributed 13 points, with Payton Birchmeier (Corunna, Mich.) grabbing a team-best seven rebounds, including five offensive boards.  Sarah Ruhstorfer (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Flint Powers Catholic) dished out three assists and had two steals.

ODU LEADERS

Rose led a balanced scoring attack with 15 points, which included 3-of-4 from beyond the arc.  Bates had 13 points and a game-high five steals, while Sarah Futscher added 12 points.  Rittinger garnered 11 points, while Blanford recorded game-best totals of nine rebounds and four assists.

UP NEXT

Wayne State will conclude its pre-holiday schedule with a non-conference in-region contest at Lewis University on Monday afternoon.  Tip-off in Romeoville, Ill., is slated for 1 p.m. Central Time.