BIG RAPIDS, Mich.- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (10-7 overall and GLIAC) pulled off a buzzer beater win, 48-47, at Ferris State (6-11 overall and GLIAC) on Friday afternoon.
 
FIRST HALF RECAP
The Warriors scored first on a Becca Fugate (Holly, Mich.) triple on the opening possession, before FSU's Mallory McCartney would tie the score (3-3) at the 9:03 mark.
 
Each team would tally five points before Ferris State would go on a five-point run to take a 13-8 lead at the end of the first stanza.
 
In the second period, Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) would make a lay-up to bring the Green and Gold within three (13-10).
 
With 6:21 left in the first half, Tori Perez (Bellville, Mich.) made a jump shot to take the lead by one, 14-13, and conclude a 6-0 run by the Warriors.
 
Over the next 5:44 of the second period, there would be five lead changes, with FSU taking a 26-24 lead at the half.
 
SECOND HALF RECAP
Kate Sherwood (Canton, Mich. / Belleville) started the second half with a jumper to tie the game at 26-26.  Cherney and Fugate would each make field goals for a 30-26 advantage with 7:17 left in the third period.
 
FSU's Zoe Anderson would break the six-point WSU run with a lay-up to cut the Warrior lead to 30-28, and ignite an 13-1 Bulldog spurt.
 
Senior Kara Wilson (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Huron) would make a three-point jump shot to bring the Warriors within five (39-34) with just over two minutes left in the third quarter.
 
However, neither team would score in the last two minutes of the stanza.

The scoreless drought for both teams would continue for the first 90 seconds of the fourth period until Ferris State's Samantha Krauss scored on a lay-up.

Junior Alexis Miller (Howell, Mich.) would score at the 8:12 mark on a jump shot to keep the Warriors within five (41-36).  FSU would score the next four points for a 45-36 advantage with just over six minutes remaining.

In their final 13 possessions of the game, the Bulldogs were 0-for-12 from the field, including 0-for-3 from beyond the arc, with two turnovers and shooting 50 percent (2-of-4) from the charity stripe.

Two lay-ups by senior Anna Ruhstorfer (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Flint Powers Catholic) sandwiched around a Cherney free throw started the WSU comeback and made it a five-point game (46-41) with 1:44 left in the fourth.

Miller cut the deficit to two with a triple at the 1:10 mark.  After an offensive foul call on FSU, Perez tied the game with a lay-up.

An Anderson free throw with seven seconds remaining put the host Bulldogs in front 47-46.

On the ensuing possession, Perez would grab an offensive rebound and score with one second left.  Ferris State called timeout and advance the ball to the front court.  A last second shot went of the iron.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Sherwood had a game-high 13 points and team-high two steals.  Cherney and Perez both had eight points, while Cherney had a game-high 18 rebounds.
 
LEADING THE CARDINALS
Anderson, DeShonna Day, Kadyn Blanchard, and Krauss all had nine points.  McCartney had five assists and a game-high four steals.
 
TEAM STATS
Wayne State was held to 32 percent shooting from the floor on 18-of-56, while FSU connected on just 25 percent (17-of-67) of its field goal attempts.  WSU shot 24% (4-of-17) from the three-point range, while the Bulldogs were limited to 26% (6-of-23) from beyond the arc.  The Warriors made 8-of-13 (62%) free throw attempts, while Ferris State was 7-of-12 (58%) from the charity stripe.  The Green and Gold held a 48-42 edge in rebounds.
 
UP NEXT
The teams will conclude the weekend series with a 3 PM tip-off Saturday in Big Rapids.