ASHLAND, Ohio – The Wayne State University women's basketball team (2-3 overall) concluded its participation in the Ashland Thanksgiving Tournament on Sunday afternoon with a 70-67 overtime triumph against Missouri S&T (2-3 overall).
 
Trailing 61-52 with just 4:30 remaining in regulation, the WSU defense limited the Miners to three points, while scoring 12 points.  Senior Ja'Nae Williams (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King) had a triple with 1:19 left, then made two free throws with 50.6 seconds left to give the Warriors a 64-63 lead.  S&T's Alex Kerr made the second of two foul shot attempts with 21.7 seconds left to send the game into overtime.
 
In the extra session, Wayne State scored all six of its points on free throws as Williams made her first three attempts, junior Nastassja Chambers (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Arbor Prep) made both of her foul shots and freshman Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) made her first shot from the charity stripe.  Cherney also had a big offensive rebound with 3.9 seconds left on a missed free throw by the Warriors.
 
Meanwhile, the WSU defense held the Miners to one triple, the only made basket by the Miners in the final eight minutes of the game.  In overtime, Missouri S&T had five turnovers and went 1-for-5 from the floor.
 
The Miners scored the first four points of the game, then tallied the final nine points of the opening stanza for a 20-9 lead after 10 minutes.
 
A 14-4 spurt by the Warriors to start the second quarter pulled WSU within one (24-23) on a triple by junior Alex Matus (Millbury, Ohio / Toledo Central Catholic).
 
Missouri S&T answered with a 10-0 run for an 11-point advantage just past the mid-point of the second period.
 
Trailing 40-29 at intermission, WSU fell behind 42-30 at the 8:09 mark of the third quarter before rallying within five (44-39) with 2:25 left. 
 
The Warriors entered the fourth period trailing by 10 (51-41), but outscored the Miners 23-13 to force overtime.
 
TEAM STATS
 
Wayne State shot 33 percent (24-of-73) from the floor, compared to 47 percent (25-of-53) for S&T.  WSU was 7-of-23 (30 percent) from three-point range, while the Miners made 8-of-17 (44 percent) from beyond the arc.  The Warriors were 15-of-24 (63 percent) from the charity stripe, with Missouri S&T making 9-of-11 (82 percent) foul shots.  Both teams had 41 rebounds, but the Warriors had 16 turnovers to 29 miscues for the Miners.  WSU had a 26-15 edge in points off turnovers, and a 16-5 advantage in second-chance points.
 
LEADING THE WARRIORS
 
Chambers had a game-high 20 points, while Williams contributed 18 points, nine rebounds and seven steals.  Alex Matus contributed 14 points, including a team-best four triples.  Cherney chipped in with eight rebounds and four steals.  Freshman Grace George (DeWitt, Mich.) added eight points and six rebounds off the bench.
 
LEADING THE MINERS
 
Kerr tallied a team-high 14 points off the bench, while Marta Durk connected on four triples for 12 points, and Maddie Raley added 12 points.  Mykala Baylor had 10 points and nine rebounds before fouling out, with Ashley Harvey also grabbing nine rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
 
Wayne State will begin GLIAC competition with a 5:30 p.m. home contest on Thursday, Nov. 29, against Ferris State.