ASHLAND, Ohio – The Wayne State University women's basketball team (1-3 overall) suffered a 65-63 setback to Slippery Rock University (2-3 overall) in the opening game of the 2018 Ashland Thanksgiving Tournament Saturday afternoon.  There were 15 lead changes in the game but a late 11-0 run by The Rock was the difference.
 
In a back-and-forth first period that saw six lead changes, WSU held a 14-11 edge after 10 minutes with five different Warriors making field goals.
 
SRU had a 17-16 scoring advantage in the second quarter as Wayne State made five triples and one free throw.  Five different WSU players connected from beyond the arc in the stanza to help the Warriors lead 30-28 at intermission.
 
Slippery Rock had a 16-11 scoring edge in the third period as Wayne State went over five minutes without a point between a lay-up from junior Nastassja Chambers (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Arbor Prep) at the 9:01 mark and her free throw with 3:43 remaining in the stanza.
 
The Rock scored six of the final seven points of the third quarter for a 44-41 lead after 30 minutes.
 
A conventional three-point play by senior Ja'Nae Williams (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King) just 12 seconds into the fourth period knotted the game at 44-44.
 
Despite falling behind 47-44, the Warriors rattled off 11 consecutive points to lead 55-47 on five points each from Chambers, and freshman Grace George (DeWitt, Mich.), and a free throw by freshman Kate Sherwood (Canton, Mich. / Belleville).
 
A lay-up from Williams with just under three minutes remaining extended the WSU advantage to eight (59-51).
 
Over the next 2:48, the Warriors missed two field goal attempts and had two turnovers, while SRU made three field goals, including two triples, plus went 3-of-4 from the charity stripe for an 11-0 run to gain a 62-59 lead.
 
Freshman Alexis Miller (Howell, Mich.) made two free throws with 6.7 seconds left to cut the Wayne State deficit to one (62-61).  Slippery Rock's Brooke Hinderliter made two foul shots with 5.3 remaining to help the Rock regain a three-point advantage.
 
Williams was intentionally fouled once she crossed mid-court with 2.0 seconds left.  She made both attempts from the charity stripe to pull WSU within one (64-63).  SRU's Madison Johnson was fouled on the inbounds with 1.1 seconds remaining.  Johnson made the first attempt and purposely missed the second to left the clock run out.
 
TEAM STATS
 
Both teams attempted 64 field goals with Slippery Rock making 24 (38 percent) compared to 20 (31 percent) for WSU.  The Warriors were 7-of-19 from three-point range (37 percent), while SRU was 5-of-22 (23 percent).  Wayne State shot 67 percent (16-of-24) from the charity stripe, with The Rock making 75 percent (12-of-16) of their free throw attempts.  WSU held a 49-38 edge in rebounding, but had 15 turnovers to Slippery Rock's 11 miscues.
 
LEADING THE WARRIORS
 
Chambers had a team-high 17 points, with Williams contributing 14 points.  Freshman Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) had a game-high 14 rebounds.
 
LEADING THE ROCK
 
Hinderliter tallied a game-best 21 points, including a game-high three triples.  Morgan Henderson added a team-best 10 rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
 
Wayne State will play Missouri S&T in a 1 p.m. contest on Sunday, November 25 at Ashland's Kates Gymnasium.