STORYLINES
For the first time since March 4, 2015, the Warriors will host a GLIAC Tournament game, as Wayne State welcomes Northwood for the quarterfinal contest.   Wayne State will go for the three-game season sweep of the Timberwolves, as the Green & Gold won the previous two meetings during the regular season.

THE SERIES
Wayne State leads the all-time series, 30-26.  Prior to this season, the Warriors had lost three straight to the Timberwolves.  That drought ended in a 59-57 WSU win at Northwood on Jan. 13, as senior Shannon Wilson hit a jumper as time expired to defeat NU.   Wayne State swept the regular season series, claiming a 76-66 win at the Matthaei on Feb. 17. 

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
The Timberwolves enter Wednesday's contest with one of the most potent offenses in the conference, boasting a fifth-best 42.0 percent from the field while shooting a third-best .349 from beyond the three-point line.  Northwood is averaging 70.3 points per game, which ties the team for fifth-best in the GLIAC.  Northwood is also shooting 78.9 percent from the free throw line, which is second in the league behind Ashland.

Senior guard Lindsay Orwat is the driving force behind the offensive production.  Orwat is third in the league with a 17.9 PPG average, has the second-best three-point percentage (.423), and leads NU with a 32.2 minutes per game average.  Senior guard Maddy Seely boasts an .851 free throw percentage, good enough for fifth best in the GLIAC.  Seeley is contributing 14.0 PPG and 3.2 APG, while averaging 31.3 minutes per contest.

In two meetings against the Warriors just season, NU has gone a combined 23-of-25 from the free throw line (92.0), including 15-of-16 (93.8 percent) in the last meeting.  Senior Karli Herrington has been productive in both  match-ups, scoring 12 points with eight rebounds in the contest at Northwood and contributing 18 points with six rebounds in the rematch.   Orwat was productive in the most recent meeting, scoring 12 points on 4-of-5 shooting from the field.  She also went 3-of-3 on free throw attempts. 

LAST TIME OUT
A defensive foul call with 1.4 seconds left on the clock sent Northern Michigan to the free throw line, allowing the Wildcats to break a tie and secure a 67-66 win over the Warriors on Saturday.

Junior Ja'Nae Williams hit a bucket with 59.4 seconds to play, and a Warrior stop allowed for WSU to hold the ball for a potential game-winner.  The Warriors were unable to convert with seven second left, and as NMU struggled to get a last-second shot off, WSU was whistled for a foul.  With the Wildcats in the bonus, Northern Michigan sank the second of its two tries from the charity stripe, clinching the contest.

Sophomore Alex Matus hit six three pointers and led WSU with 18 points.  Junior Ja'Nae Williams had 15 points and a team-high six rebounds.

GLIAC TOURNAMENT
WSU will host a GLIAC quarterfinal game for the fourth time in the last six seasons.  Prior to this current stretch, the only previous time WSU had hosted a GLIAC First Round game was 2003 (although the GLIAC Tournament was played at the DeltaPlex [Grand Rapids] in 2000 through 2002, and at Kellogg Arena [Battle Creek] in 1999).

HUMBLE HOSTS
Wayne State is one of just two GLIAC programs hosting two quarterfinal games.  Ashland is the only other team entertaining conference tournament games on both the men's and women's ends.

MATUS MATTERS
Sophomore Alex Matus continues to stand out for Wayne State this season.  Matus has led the Warriors in three-pointers made nine times this season, one behind Shannon Wilson's mark of 10.  After making eight triples all of last year, she has connected for 36 triples this year and her shooting percentage went from 21.6 percent last year to 39.1 percent this season.  In Saturday's contest against NMU, she led the the Warriors with six three-pointers, scoring a team-high and career-best 18 points.

QUITE THE TURNAROUND
With 19 wins on the year, Wayne State has more than doubled its eight-game win total from the 2016-17 season.  The Warriors have more GLIAC wins this year (14) than the two previous seasons combined (12).

WSU went from 7-7 at home a year ago, to 10-2 this year with a home playoff game remaining.  The only two setbacks at the Matthaei were in overtime to Grand Valley State on Nov. 30, and earlier this month against top-ranked Ashland.  Wayne State had a double-digit lead (31-18) on the Eagles in the second quarter.

DOUBLE-DOUBLE TIMES EIGHT
Wayne State tallied its seventh and eighth double-doubles of the season at Tiffin on Feb. 3 thanks to the efforts of Ja'Nae Williams (11 points, 10 rebounds) and Shannon Wilson (10 points, 10 rebounds).  

It was the second time this season WSU had two double-doubles in the same contest, as Williams (13 points, 10 rebounds) and Nastassja Chambers (26 points, 13 rebounds) accomplished the feat at Ferris State on Jan. 4.  

It was the first career double-double for Chambers.  Four of Williams' five career double-doubles have occurred this season.  Wilson has four career double-doubles, including three this season.

GARNERING GLIAC AWARDS
Shannon Wilson was selected GLIAC South Division Player of the Week this past Monday.  It was the second such honor this year for Wilson, who also earned the Award on Nov. 13 after leading the Warriors to a pair of victories over Findlay and Lake Erie.

Nastassja Chambers was named GLIAC South Division Player of the Week on Jan. 8.  Chambers had her first career double-double (26 points, 13 rebounds) at Ferris State, and then had a game-high 17 points against LSSU. She averaged 21.5 points, 7.5 rebounds, 3.5 assists and 3.5 steals per game in the two games on Jan. 4 and Jan. 6.  

WARRIOR ADVANTAGE
Wayne State has had the lead at least once in all 26 contests this season.  The Warriors led by as much as four in the first half against Southern Indiana, held a three-point advantage in the final 23 seconds against Grand Valley State, and led by as many as five in the first period at top-ranked Ashland.  In the rematch against the Eagles, Wayne State led by 13 in the second quarter.  

The Green & Gold has never trailed in six games this season (at Oakland City, vs. Wright State Lake, vs. Michigan-Dearborn, at Purdue Northwest, vs. Lake Superior State and vs. Purdue Northwest), and held leads for the entire second half in eight other contests (against Lake Erie, Tiffin (twice), Ferris State, Saginaw Valley State, #12-Michigan Tech, Davenport and Northwood).

A GRAND EFFORT
Senior Shannon Wilson became the 17th player in program history to reach 1,000 points.  She accomplished the feat on Jan. 6 vs. Lake Superior State.  Wilson enters this week with 1,215  career points.

700 & 50
Last week, sophomore Nastassja Chambers became the 39th player in WSU history to score at least 700 points.  Entering Wednesday, Chambers has 726 career points.

Senior Payton Birchmeier is seventh all-time with 64 blocks, despite playing only three seasons at WSU.

DON'T I KNOW YOU?
This season's roster includes two pairings of sisters, as twins Alex and Lyndsey Matus will be joined by Sara Ruhstorfer and her sister Anna.  Freshman Cydney Williams will team up with former high school teammate Nastassja Chambers, as the two won a state championship at Arbor Prep in 2016.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
Wayne State broadcaster Kevin Brechmacher will provide live audio of both Warrior games this weekend in the U.P.  There will not be any cost to WSU fans to listen through Warrior All-Access.