DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball team (6-2 overall, 1-1 GLIAC) will look to rebounds on Saturday night at No. 4 Ashland (7-0 overall, 2-0 GLIAC).  Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.

STORYLINES
Wayne State will travel to fourth-ranked Ashland on Saturday, Dec. 14th, for a 5:30 p.m. GLIAC contest.  It will be WSU's final conference game of 2019 with only non-conference tilts at Fairmont State (Dec. 18) and vs. Cedarville (Dec. 21) remaining in 2019.

THE SERIES
The Warriors trail 15-40 in the all-time series against AU, which began in 1983.  WSU lost both games against the nationally-ranked Eagles last season.  Ashland was ranked fifth when Wayne State fell 84-65 at home, followed by a 94-53 loss at seventh-ranked AU.  In the last seven meetings, the Eagles have been nationally ranked in the top seven for every contest.  AU has won nine straight since an 87-78 Warrior victory in Ohio on December 18, 2013.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
The fourth-ranked Ashland squad has begun the 2019-20 season undefeated (7-0), including two GLIAC road victories.  AU traveled to Lake Superior State on Dec. 5th, tallying an 85-55 win against the Lakers.  On Dec. 7th, the Eagles notched a 79-70 victory at Ferris State.

Senior Sara Loomis leads the Eagles in scoring with 18.0 PPG.  Loomis is first in the GLIAC in both rebounds (10.4 RPG) and three-point field goal percentage (.526), and fourth in points per game.  Five other players average in doubles figures including senior Jodi Johnson (16.1 PPG), sophomore Hallie Heidemann (12.7 PPG), freshman Annie Roshak (11.9 PPG), junior Karlee Pireu (11.6 PPG) and senior Sarah Hart (10.4 PPG).  Roshak (.603) and Pireu (.586) are ranked fourth and fifth in the conference in field goal percentage, while Heidemann (.488) and Johnson (.462) are second and third in three-point field goal percentage.  Senior Renee Stimpert is first in the league with 8.7 assists per game.

LAST WEEK RECAP
Wayne State notched a 78-75 victory at Ferris State in the conference opener on Dec. 5th.  Wayne State shot 45 percent (26-of-58) from the floor, while FSU shot 39 percent (26-of-66) from the field.  Senior Sadia Johnson scored a game-best 24 points, including 8-of-9 on free throw attempts.  Sophomore Grace George notched her second collegiate double-double with 18 points and a game-high 12 rebounds.  Senior Nastassja Chambers and freshman Sam Cherney also scored in double figures with 13 points and 10 points, respectively.

The WSU squad, which was off to its best start since the 2014-15 team began the year with a 14-1 record, struggled offensively the entire game in falling 48-34 at Lake Superior State University on Dec. 7th.  The 34 points is the lowest output by Wayne State since falling at Eastern Michigan, 82-31, in the 2004-05 season opener on Nov. 19, 2004.  Wayne State shot just 20 percent (14-of-70) from the floor, including 20 percent (3-of-15) from three-point range.  Meanwhile, LSSU was held to 33 percent (16-of-48) shooting and only 29 percent (6-of-21) from beyond the arc.  The Warriors were out-rebounded 49-47.

300 COLLEGIATE VICTORIES
Head coach Carrie Lohr recorded her 300th collegiate victory with the win against Central State on Nov. 13th.  Lohr tallied 166 wins in her nine years of coaching at St. Clair County Community College (2002-11), before leading the Warriors to 138 victories since 2011.

Lohr became WSU's all-time winningest coach when last year's squad recorded a 76-67 win at Purdue Northwest on January 10, 2019.  Lohr is the only coach with five consecutive double-digit win totals in program history.  She was also the fastest to reach the century mark.

NEW FACES
The 2019-20 campaign features four new faces on this season's 14-player roster.  Joining the Warriors this year are freshmen Rebecca Fugate (5-7 guard) and Mercedes Wagner (6-1 center), along with transfers Ariel Bethea (5-9 guard from Owens CC) and Kara Wilson (5-8 guard from Illinois-Chicago).

TABBED FOR FOURTH
Wayne State was voted fourth in the GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll.  Grand Valley State was predicted to win the South Division with 11 first-place votes and 61 points, followed by Ashland (1 FPV - 51 points), Northwood (38 points), WSU (30 points), Davenport (20 points) and Saginaw Valley State (16 points).

In the North Division, Michigan Tech earned eight first-place votes and 58 points.  Trailing the Huskies were Northern Michigan (4 FPV - 53 points), Ferris State (40 points), Wisconsin-Parkside (32 points), Lake Superior State (19 points) and Purdue Northwest (14 points).

PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Senior guard Nastassja Chambers was named to the All-GLIAC South Division Preseason Team.

Chambers, who is on pace to become the third 1,000-point scorer in school history to average in double figures all four seasons, joining Monique Johnson (1988-93) and Delonda Little (1991-95), needs four points to move into 10th place in career scoring at wsu.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES
Three players have recorded their first career double-doubles this season, including sophomores Sam Cherney and Grace George, and junior Tori Perez.

George has tallied two double-doubles so far.  Her first was vs. Tiffin (11/26) with 11 points and 11 rebounds and her second was at Ferris State (12/5) with 18 points and a career-high 12 boards.

Cherney and Perez each have one double-double.  Cherney notched hers against Central State (11/13) with 10 points and a season-best 11 rebounds, while Perez earned her double-double versus Tiffin (11/26) with a career-high 12 points and 10 boards.

BEYOND THE ARC
Senior co-captain Alex Matus became the 13th player in Wayne State history with 100 made three-pointers vs. Wright State-Lake on Nov. 21, 2019.  Matus is currently 12th in three-point field goals made (103) and 13th in three-point field goal percentage (.332 / 103-of-310 - min. 50 made).

GLIAC RANKINGS
Senior Nastassja Chambers is currently first in the conference with a .926 free throw percentage (25-of-27), while classmate Sadia Johnson ranks fifth  (.829 // 29-of-35).

Sophomore Sam Cherney holds  the second spot in blocks per game (2.1), while ranking third in rebounding average (9.1 RPG).  Cherney is also first in total offensive boards (29).  Classmate Grace George is fourth in rebounding at 8.4 boards per game.

Wayne State leads the conference with 45.5 rebounds per game, while ranking second in blocks per game (4.3 BPG), third with 9.3 steals per game, and fifth in free throw percentage (.728).

TOUGH COMPETITION
Two GLIAC teams were ranked in the top five of the WBCA D2 Coaches Poll on Dec. 10th.  Grand Valley State remained third behind Drury and Lubbock Christian, with an overall record of 8-0.  Ashland moved up to the fourth spot (7-0) after being ranked sixth in the previous poll.

NEW BASKETBALL ARENA 
In May of 2019, it was announced that WSU Athletics and the Detroit Pistons would be partnering to construct a $25 million basketball arena on the west side of the athletic campus.

The approved plan includes construction of a 70,000 square-foot arena near the intersection of Warren and Trumbull avenues with seating capacity for approximately 3,000 fans, office space and locker room areas for both WSU's men's and women's basketball teams, a concessions area and other ancillary spaces.  The arena will be ready for play in the 2021-2022 basketball season.

The Pistons G-League team will also call the new facility home.

LOCKER ROOM REPORT
Check WSUAthletics.com every week to watch Carrie Lohr's weekly locker room report.  She will recap the week's previous games and preview upcoming opponents.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
All  Wayne  State  home  women's  basketball  games  can  be  watched  via  Warrior All-Access for a $5.95 per game fee.  All home contests during the 2019-20 season will be available on All-Access.  Monthly passes are available for $9.95, and year-long access is offered for $69.95.