Wayne State has won its last three games against the Bulldogs.

Women's Basketball 1/5/2022 6:00:00 PM Zachary Manning, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Women's Basketball Readies for Ferris State, has LSSU Game Postponed

The Warriors and Bulldogs are battling for positioning in the GLIAC standings.

STORYLINES
Wayne State returned from a 21-day layoff this past Sunday (Jan. 2) and fell 69-67 on a buzzer-beater at GLIAC co-leader Saginaw Valley State. The tough road trip continues this Thursday for the Warriors as they visit the other GLIAC co-leader Ferris State. FSU had won 10 straight until a 78-66 loss at Indianapolis last Friday (Dec. 31).

WSU was scheduled to visit Lake Superior State on Saturday, but the Laker squad was forced to postpone the contest due to GLIAC COVID protocols. That match-up would have featured the league's top two rebounders in WSU's Sam Cherney and LSSU's Mattison Rayman. They are the only GLIAC players averaging more than 10 rebounds per game this season.

SERIES HISTORY
The Warriors are 37-40 all-time against the Bulldogs, but WSU has won five of the last six match-ups. If history has anything to say about this game, it will be close throughout, as the last five meetings have been decided by a total of 12 points.

The Warriors also trail in the series against LSSU 40-41, but WSU has won four straight, including three games in the shortened campaign of 2021. However, the Green and Gold have not won at LSSU since February of 2017.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Ferris State is tied-for-first in the GLIAC standings with an unblemished 4-0 record in conference play.

Sophomore guard Kadyn Blanchard leads the team in scoring (16.0 PPG), which ranks fifth in the league in points per game. Blanchard is a sharpshooter, who makes more than 43 percent of her shots from beyond the arc (31-71 / 43.7%). Junior forward Chloe Idoni and redshirt senior guard Adrienne Anderson also play a pivotal role for the Bulldogs.

Anderson leads the show at point guard, as she collects 13.4 points per game and dishes out a GLIAC-best 4.4 assists per contest. Idoni has been a solid third option for the Bulldogs this season, as she averages 12.8 points on 52 percent shooting (51-of-98) from the field.

As a team, Ferris leads the league in points, steals and assists. The Bulldogs also average more than three blocks per contest. Anderson has won two GLIAC Player of the Week Awards (11/22, 12/6), while Blanchard has earned the honor once (11/29).

Lake Superior State begins 2022 with a 2-8 overall record and 1-3 GLIAC mark. The Lakers are led by the trio of Mattison Rayman, Margot Woughter and Makenzie Bray.

Rayman is the best all-around player for the Lakers as she leads the team in scoring (13.2 PPG) and rebounding (10.3 RPG). Woughter has been effective in support, averaging just under 12 points per game, while adding 3.8 rebounds and 2.1 assists per contest.

Bray contributes 11.2 points a night and shoots 45 percent from the field. She averages the most minutes per game on the team (33.5).

As a team, LSSU ranks last in the league in points per game (56.1) and allows opponents to score nearly 80 points per contest.

LAST TIME OUT
Wayne State returned to competition on Jan. 2 following a 21-day layoff and the Warriors fell 69-67 at Saginaw Valley State University on a last-second shot.

In a high scoring first six minutes, WSU led 15-12 at the 4:12 mark as senior Kate Sherwood tallied seven points. Wayne State extended its advantage to 23-14 after 10 minutes by out-scoring the host Cardinals 8-2 over the final 4:12 of the opening stanza. The Warriors shot 80 percent (8-of-10) from the floor in the opening quarter, including 4-of-6 from beyond the arc.

Freshman Emma Anderson totaled 12 consecutive Warrior points on four triples (two in each of the first two periods) over the final three minutes of the first period and the first four minutes of the second quarter.

Wayne State led 29-20 at the second quarter media timeout (4:28 left), and tallied seven of the final 13 points before intermission, which included a long-range shot by Sherwood with just three seconds left prior to halftime.

Saginaw Valley scored 10 of the first 16 points of the third period to pull within six at 42-36. WSU then went over three minutes without a point as the Cardinals tallied five straight points to make it a one-point contest (42-41). The Warrior defense held SVSU scoreless over the final two minutes and led 46-44 after 30 minutes.

Saginaw Valley knotted the game at 53-53 on a bucket by Kyndall Spires with 6:21 left. After WSU took a 55-53 lead on two free throws by freshman Shea Tripp, SVSU tallied the next five points for a 58-55 advantage.

Saginaw Valley's Tori DePerry scored with 20.2 left, before Sherwood sank a pair of foul shots with 9.4 remaining to make it 67-64. An illegal screen call on SVSU's Maddie Maloney with 8.4 seconds left, gave the Warriors life. Junior Becca Fugate drained a triple with 0.8 seconds remaining. Following SVSU's last timeout to advance the ball, DePerry then took the in-bounds pass and her shot was good as the clock expired.

NATIONAL RANKINGS
WSU ranks second in defensive rebounds per contest (32.1), 10th in rebounds per game (45.6), 16th in rebounding margin (+9.8), 26th in blocks per game (4.4), 33rd in field goal percentage defense (.351), and tied-for-40th in fewest fouls (147).

The Warriors currently lead the GLIAC in rebounds and blocks per game, along with offensive rebounds per game (13.4).

Individually, Sam Cherney is 10th in blocked shots per game (2.67), tied-for-18th in blocked shots (24), tied-for-22nd in rebounds per game (10.6), 31st in defensive rebounds per game (7.1), and tied-for-48th in double doubles (4).

Additionally, Shea Tripp's seven steals against Northwood (12/11/21) are tied-for-the-18th most in a single game this season.

TABBED FOR THIRD
In the GLIAC Preseason poll, the Warriors were picked to finish third in the South Division behind Grand Valley State and Northwood. Both of those teams received first-place votes.

Michigan Tech and Ferris State were the top two teams in the North Division. Both of those squads received first-place votes.

CHERNEY MAKES HISTORY
In the loss at Ashland on Nov. 28, Sam Cherney collected a game-high 14 rebounds, which made her WSU's all-time leading rebounder. Cherney currently has 795 career rebounds passing former Warrior great Shareta Brown, who totaled 769 rebounds in her two seasons at WSU (2013-15).

NON-CONFERENCE NOTES
The Warriors started the season 4-0 for the first time since the 2015-16 campaign and lost its first game of the season at sixth-ranked Ashland on Nov. 28.

WARRIOR COACHES
Assistant coach Karen Lafata, who holds three degrees from Wayne State, has been with head coach Carrie Lohr for all 10-plus seasons.

Assistant coach Christina Green joined the coaching staff in the summer of 2019 as a graduate assistant coach and was elevated to a full-time assistant coach this past spring. Green played basketball for the Warriors between 2013 and 2017 scoring in double figures 19 times.

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Players Mentioned

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

#4 Becca Fugate: G; 5' 7"; Sophomore

#21 Kate Sherwood: G; 5' 8"; Junior

#22 Emma Anderson: F; 6' 2"; Freshman

#23 Shea Tripp: F; 5' 10"; Freshman

Players Mentioned

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

#4 Becca Fugate
: 5' 7"; Sophomore
: G

#21 Kate Sherwood
: 5' 8"; Junior
: G

#22 Emma Anderson
: 6' 2"; Freshman
: F

#23 Shea Tripp
: 5' 10"; Freshman
: F