Women's Basketball 1/10/2023 4:23:00 PM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Women's Basketball Visits #4-Grand Valley State and Davenport This Weekend

Warriors look to end three-game GLIAC losing streak.

STORYLINES
The Wayne State University women's basketball team looks to rebound this week after losing twice at home last weekend to Northern Michigan (56-52 in OT) and Michigan Tech (86-71). The Warriors travel to #4-ranked Grand Valley State for a 6 p.m. contest on Thursday, before visiting Davenport on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip.

SERIES HISTORY
Wayne State trails 26-58 in the all-time series against Grand Valley State. The Lakers have won the last 16 match-ups since an 89-63 WSU triumph on January 2, 2015. The Warriors are 9-29 all-time at GVSU since the series began in 1974.

All 10 contests vs. Davenport have been GLIAC games with Wayne State holding a 7-3 advantage. WSU won both meetings a year ago, and are 3-3 all-time at DU.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Grand Valley State won two road games last weekend (83-73 in OT at Parkside, and 62-54 at Purdue Northwest) after having its 12-game season-opening win streak come to an end with a 69-63 setback at home to Lewis on Dec. 31st.

Senior guard Emily Spitzley (15.3 PPG) and sophomore guard Ellie Droste (11.8 PPG) are the two Lakers averaging in double figures. Spitzley leads the squad in three-pointers made (30), and is tied for the team lead in assists (33 with Droste) and blocks (10 with Nicole Kamin). Sophomore guard Hadley Miller has a squad-best 21 steals. Junior forward Courtney Sharland has grabbed a team-best 76 rebounds (5.1 RPG).

Mike Williams is in his eighth season as head coach and has compiled a 192-42 (.821) overall record and a 121-24 (.834) record in the GLIAC.

Davenport enters Thursday's home contest vs. Saginaw Valley State with a 6-9 overall record. The Panthers have lost five of their last six games with the lone victory being an 82-71 win over Cornerstone on Dec. 30th.

Sophomore forward Lillee Gustafson leads DU in scoring (14.8 PPG), blocks (17) and steals (18), and is third in the GLIAC in rebounding (9.5 RPG). Senior guard Scout Nelson has a team-best 42 assists, while junior guard Makenna Bryant has made a squad-high 22 triples.

Shonda Sanders is in her first season as head coach at Davenport after spending the three previous seasons as an assistant coach at Saginaw Valley State. She was a 1,000-point scorer for Central Michigan.

LAST WEEKEND RECAP
Wayne State dropped a pair of home games to Northern Michigan (56-52 in OT) and Michigan Tech (86-71) to fall to 8-5 overall and 1-4 in the GLIAC.

Maxine Moore notched a double-double with 12 points and a game-high 11 rebounds vs. the Wildcats, while Becca Fugate tallied a game-best 21 points. Fugate also grabbed nine rebounds. Kate McArthur led the team with six assists.

Fugate scored a game-high 24 points against the Huskies, including 22 in the second half, while earning a double-double with 11 rebounds. Shea Tripp was 9-of-9 from the foul line in scoring 19 points.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
After an 8-5 start to the 2022-23 season, Wayne State is 12th nationally in three-point percentage defense (.243), 16th in assists per game (16.9), 20th in free throw percentage (.771), 25th in defensive rebounds per game (29.6), and 28th in field goal percentage (.444).

Individually, Shea Tripp is 64th in free throw percentage (.846), while Becca Fugate would rank 24th in three-point percentage (.446) if she qualified (min. two made triples per game).

WARRIOR UPDATE
Senior guard Becca Fugate leads a trio of Warriors averaging in double figures at 15.2 PPG. She also leads the team in triples (25), rebounds (88 / 6.8 RPG), and field goal percentage (.533 / 64-of-120).
Sophomore Shea Tripp is scoring 11.0 points per contest, and leads WSU in assists (47), steals (29) and blocks (9).

Senior forward Maxine Moore has scored 143 points (11.0 PPG) and is the third Warrior shooting over 80 percent from the foul line (22-of-27 / .815) joining Tripp (.846 / 33-of-39) and Fugate (.833 / 45-of-54).

BEING OFFENSIVE IN 2023
Senior guard Becca Fugate tallied 45 points in the two games last weekend and nearly had a double-double in each contest.

After recording her first career double-double (15 points and 12 rebounds) in the Dec. 30th win over Michigan-Dearborn, Fugate totaled 21 points and nine defensive rebounds in the overtime setback to Northern Michigan on Jan. 5th. Two days later, she scored 24 points and grabbed 11 rebounds vs. Michigan Tech.

Fugate has scored in double figures in 11 of WSU's 13 games this season and is averaging 21.0 PPG and 8.3 rebounds per contest over the last six outings.

Over the last six games, senior forward Maxine Moore is averaging 15.5 PPG and 6.7 rebounds per contest.

SKIPPING THE SOPHOMORE SLUMP
Wayne State sophomores Alyssa Leister and Shea Tripp are proving that the second year in college is not a down year. Leister has already scored more points (79 compared to 47) and dished out more assists (17 compared to 5) than last year, while doubling the number of made field goals (28 compared to 14).

Tripp has greatly improved her rebounds per game average (6.5 compared to 3.8 last year), and has already surpassed her assist total from all of last season. Additionally, she has equaled her point total from last season (143 points).

NEARLY IN THE RECORD BOOKS
Wayne State sophomore Shea Tripp almost became the third player in program history to record a triple-double, with her incredible performance against Walsh on the final day of the Warrior Holiday Tournament on Nov. 23rd.

Tripp finished the contest with an impressive 13 points, 11 rebounds and nine assists. She also tallied two steals vs. the Cavaliers.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
Every regular season home game will be streamed via Warrior All-Access at WSUAthletics.com.

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Players Mentioned

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

#2 Alyssa Leister: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#30 Kate McArthur: G; 5' 8"; Senior

#42 Maxine Moore: F; 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior

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

Players Mentioned

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

#2 Alyssa Leister
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#30 Kate McArthur
: 5' 8"; Senior
: G

#42 Maxine Moore
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Senior
: F

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