Women's Basketball 1/30/2019 8:23:00 PM Lauren Bryne, Sports Information Graduate Intern

Women's Hoops to Host League Rivals on Friday and Saturday

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad will host 15th-ranked Grand Valley State on Friday (5 p.m.) and Davenport on Saturday (2:00 p.m.) at the Matthaei.

STORYLINES
Wayne State will conclude its five-game home stand this weekend with contests vs. 15th-ranked Grand Valley State on Friday at 5 p.m and against Davenport on Saturday at 2 p.m. The Warriors fell 84-65 to the No. 5 Ashland last Saturday.

THE SERIES
WSU trails 26-48 in the all-time series against Grand Valley State. The Green and Gold have lost six consecutive games in the series since an 89-63 triumph against the 17th-ranked Lakers in Detroit on Jan. 2, 2015. Earlier this season, Wayne State fell 73-42 in Allendale. The Warriors have a 17-18 record at the Matthaei vs. GVSU.

After a 70-56 victory at Davenport in December, WSU leads 2-1 in the all-time series versus the Panthers. Wayne State is 1-0 in Detroit following a 43-36 triumph on Jan. 27, 2018.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
With an overall record of 17-2 and a 10-1 mark in the GLIAC, Grand Valley State is currently tied-for-15th in the nation this week by the WBCA. The Lakers had their 14-game winning streak snapped with a 56-43 setback at Northern Michigan on Jan. 19.

Junior center Cassidy Boensch is currently second in the GLIAC, averaging a team-best 18.9 points per game. Boensch is also first in the league with a 58.1 field-goal percentage and 11.9 rebounds per contest. Junior guard Jenn DeBoer is first in the conference in free-throw percentage (90.2), third in assists per contest (4.2) and fourth in points per game (15.9). Redshirt junior Victoria Hedemark is fourth in the GLIAC, averaging 2.4 steals per contest.
Davenport is 5-13 overall and 3-8 in league contests. The Panthers lost 82-53 against 15th-ranked Grand Valley State on Jan. 26 and will play the No. 3 Ashland Eagles on Friday before traveling to Detroit.

Junior center Jenna Falkenberg leads the Panthers in scoring (13.6 PPG) and is currently fourth in the league in both rebounds per contest (8.9) and blocks per game (2.1). Freshman guard Toni Grace also averages in double digits (11.7 PPG). Senior guard Amanda Merz is fourth in the GLIAC, averaging 4.1 assists per contest, while also leading the team in steals (2.1 SPG).

LAST TIME OUT
WSU fell 84-65 to the fifth-ranked Ashland Eagles on Saturday, Jan. 26, after trailing the entire contest. Junior guard Nastassja Chambers led Wayne State, scoring a team-high 15 points, while also dishing out a team-best five assists. Senior guard Ja'Nae Williams nearly had a double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds. Williams and freshman forward Sam Cherney tied for the team lead in boards with nine each. The Warriors shot 34 percent (22-of-65) from the floor, 40 percent (6-of-15) in three-point attempts and 63 percent (15-of-24) from the charity stripe. WSU had a 36-9 edge in bench scoring, while also leading 19-11 in second-chance points.

ON ANOTHER NOTE...
Although the Warriors lost to Ashland, they did leave their mark. The Eagles connected on 45 percent (29-of-64) of their field-goal attempts, their lowest percentage from the floor in the last 10 games. Additionally, the 19-point margin (84-65) was the second-closest in a GLIAC contest won by AU. The closest was 16 points vs. against Northern Michigan (71-55). Ashland's average margin of victory in its other eight league wins (exluding NMU and WSU) is 37.5 points.

NATIONAL AND LEAGUE RANKINGS
Senior guard Ja'Nae Williams is currently third in the conference and 32nd in the nation with 49 steals. Williams is also fourth in the GLIAC and 51st in the country with 6.7 defensive rebounds per game. Junior guard Alex Matus is second in the league and 68th nationally with a 37.7 three-point field-goal percentage, while freshman guard Alexis Miller is ranked fifth in the conference with a 44.4 (20-of-45) three-point field-goal percentage. Freshman forward Sam Cherney is third in the GLIAC and 86th in the nation, recording 3.2 offensive rebounds per contest.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Ja'Nae Williams leads the squad in rebounds, grabbing double-digit boards in 10 of the 19 games. She has accumulated 163 rebounds (8.6 RPG) this season. In addition, Williams has four double-doubles: against Findlay (10 points & 12 rebounds), at Tiffin (14 points & 10 rebounds), vs. Lake Superior State (18 points & 10 rebounds), and versus Fairmont State (16 points & 11 rebounds).

CONNECTING FROM LONG DISTANCE
Alex Matus can be found beyond the arc, shooting a triple as she has already surpassed last season's total. Matus has drained 40-of-106 triple tries in 19 contests this year, for a three-point field goal percentage of .377. Last year, she connected on 37-of-106 three-pointers in 26 games for a .349 shooting percentage.

TOUGH COMPETITION
As of Jan. 29, two GLIAC teams were ranked in the top nine of the WBCA D2 Coaches Poll. Ashland (18-1) moved up two spots to No. 3 after notching an 84-65 victory at Wayne State on Jan. 26. The Eagles also received a first-place vote in the poll. Grand Valley State (17-2) is tied-for-15th after winning 82-53 at Davenport on Jan. 26.

COMCAST/XFINITY
Wayne State's home women's basketball games in 2019 will be aired live throughout the state of Michigan on Comcast CN 900. Sean Baligian, Rod Beard and Joe Abramson will call the action.

MAKING STRIDES
Following the 2017-18 season record of 19-8, Wayne State was tied-for-eighth among the 2018 Most Improved Teams, along with Union (TN). WSU enhanced its record by 11.5 games, after an 8-20 record during the 2016-17 season.

LOHR REWRITES HISTORY
Following a 76-67 triumph at Purdue Northwest on Thursday, Jan. 10, head coach Carrie Lohr became the winningest coach in WSU women's basketball history, tallying 127 victories since her arrival in 2011. In her eight seasons with the Warriors, Lohr averages 15.88 wins per season with a 58.8 winning percentage. She surpassed Gloria Bradley (2000-11) who had 126 wins (11.45 wins per season) and a winning percentage of 42.3.

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#3 Nastassja Chambers: G; 5' 9"; Junior

#11 Alex Matus: G; 5' 7"; Junior

#10 Alexis Miller: G; 5' 7"; Freshman

#4 Ja'Nae Williams: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#13 Sam Cherney: F; 6' 3"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

#3 Nastassja Chambers
: 5' 9"; Junior
: G

#11 Alex Matus
: 5' 7"; Junior
: G

#10 Alexis Miller
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: G

#4 Ja'Nae Williams
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#13 Sam Cherney
: 6' 3"; Freshman
: F