FAIRMONT, W. Va. – The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (6-4 overall) resumed play after final exams this afternoon but fell 84-73 at Fairmont State University (7-5 overall) in non-conference action.  It was WSU's third consecutive setback after starting the season 6-1.  The Warriors led 57-56 after three quarters, but were outscored 28-16 in the final stanza.

HOW IT HAPPENED

Wayne State tallied the game's first five points on a basket by junior Tori Perez (Belleville, Mich.) and a triple by senior Sadia Johnson (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Central).  A jumper by sophomore Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) ended a 6-0 spurt by the Falcons.  FSU's Sierra Kotchman drilled a three-pointer, but the Warriors answered with a pair of buckets by sophomore Grace George (DeWitt, Mich.) sandwiched around two free throws by Cherney for a 13-9 advantage.  Kotchman then connected twice from long distance, while teammate Kamrin Weimer concluded the 9-0 run with another three-pointer prior to consecutive layups by Cherney and George to end the first quarter.

Fairmont State scored the first five points of the second period before an old-fashioned three-point play by Johnson.  Six straight points by sophomore Kate Sherwood (Belleville, Mich.) and a conventional three-point play by Perez put WSU on top 29-27.  The Falcons outscored the Warriors 12-7 over the final 2:20 to lead 39-36 at intermission with Kotchman totaling 20 points in the first half.

FSU scored seven of the first nine points to start the second half and build up an eight-point advantage (46-38).  Wayne State responded with a 7-0 run as Perez, Sherwood and Johnson each scored two points before a foul shot by Cherney capped off the spurt.  A Cherney layup and two free throws by Sherwood regained the lead for WSU at 49-48.  Johnson, George and senior Nastassja Chambers (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Arbor Prep) extended the Warrior margin to seven (55-48), WSU's largest lead of the game, by each scoring a basket.  Fairmont State ended the stanza on an 8-2 run to pull within one of WSU (57-56) after 30 minutes.

A triple by George 80 seconds into the fourth quarter knotted the game at 62-62, before Perez made two foul shots.  The Falcons tallied six straight points prior to a jumper by sophomore Alexis Miller (Howell, Mich.) which cut the Warrior deficit to two (68-66).  An 11-3 run by the Falcons gave the hosts a double-digit lead at 79-69 with just under two minutes remaining.  After two made free throws by senior Alex Matus (Millbury, Ohio / Toledo Central Catholic), FSU scored five of the game's final seven points.

TEAM STATS

Both teams shot 40 percent from the floor as WSU was 24-of-60 compared to 27-of-66 for the Falcons.  The biggest difference was from beyond the arc, as Fairmont State shot 40 percent (14-of-35), while the Warriors were just 2-of-11 (18 percent).  Wayne State was an outstanding 82 percent (23-of-28) from the charity stripe, with FSU making 73 percent (16-of-22) of its free throw attempts.

LEADING THE WARRIORS

George notched a double-double with 13 points and a game-best 18 rebounds.  Perez and Johnson tied for team-high scoring honors with 14 points apiece.  Sherwood also totaled 13 points, while Cherney contributed nine points and 10 rebounds.

LEADING THE FALCONS

Kotchman tallied a game-high 32 points on 10-of-18 shooting, including 7-of-13 from three-point range.  Weimer and Presly Tuttle each had 17 points, while Rachel Laskody chipped in with 13 points.

UP NEXT

Wayne State will conclude the 2019 portion of its schedule with a 3 p.m. home contest on Saturday vs. Cedarville.