Women's Basketball 1/17/2023 5:06:00 PM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Women's Basketball To Host Lake Superior And Ferris State To Conclude First Half

Warriors look to rebound as they begin three-game homestand.

STORYLINES
Wayne State returns home after losing a pair of games on the road last weekend to #4-Grand Valley State (81-44) and Davenport (75-65 in OT). The Warriors host Lake Superior State for a 5:30 p.m. game on Thursday, before welcoming Ferris State on Saturday for a 1 p.m. tip.

SERIES HISTORY
Wayne State holds a slight 42-41 edge in the all-time series against Lake Superior State. The Warriors have won the last six games between the two squads, with the Lakers' last win being a 48-34 defeat of WSU on December 7, 2019. Wayne State is 27-15 in Detroit against Lake Superior, and has not lost to LSSU on home court since a 79-55 setback on January 16, 2010, a streak of 13 consecutive victories.

The Warriors trail Ferris State 38-42 in the all-time series between the two schools. FSU and WSU split a pair of regular season games played a season ago, before Ferris defeated the Warriors 62-60 in the GLIAC Semifinals on March 5, 2022. The Warriors have lost their last four home games against the Bulldogs, with their last home court victory being a 75-53 win on January 4, 2015.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Lake Superior State went 1-1 at home last weekend, dropping an 86-70 decision to Parkside, while beating Purdue Northwest 78-65 in its most recent contest. The Lakers are 2-5 in GLIAC play and come into the game winless on the road (0-8).

Senior forward Mattison Rayman (16.3 PPG) leads the Lakers in scoring. Senior guard Margot Woughter (14.1 PPG) and freshman forward Grace Bradford (12.7 PPG) are the other two Lakers averaging double-figures. Sophomore guard CeCe Hacker paces the squad in three-pointers (26). Rayman (10.8 RPG) and Bradford (9.9 RPG) are 1-2 in the GLIAC in rebounding.

Brandon Lokken is in his sixth season as head coach and has compiled a 29-108 (.212) overall record and a 15-88 (.146) mark in the GLIAC.

Ferris State carries an 11-5 overall record into its road contest at Saginaw Valley State on Thursday. The Bulldogs will be away from home for the first time since Dec. 29, when they won 73-61 at Ursuline. FSU went 2-3 on its five-game homestand, with victories over Lake Superior State on Jan. 7 (81-57) and Purdue Northwest on Jan. 12 (84-77).

Senior forward Chloe Idoni leads FSU in rebounding with 127 (7.9 RPG) and is third in the GLIAC in scoring (18.4 PPG). Senior guard Mallory McCartney leads the team in three-pointers (40), steals (25) and assists (94), while also pacing the GLIAC with 5.9 assists per contest. Junior forward Amaka Unobagha has a team-best 18 blocks.

Kurt Westendorp is in his second season as head coach of Ferris State after spending the previous four seasons as head coach of NAIA member William Jessup University in Rocklin, Calif. Westendorp has a 33-15 overall record with the Bulldogs, including a 17-10 GLIAC ledger.

LAST WEEKEND RECAP
Wayne State lost two road games to Grand Valley State (81-44) and Davenport (75-65 in OT) to drop to 8-7 overall and 1-6 in the GLIAC.

Maxine Moore recorded a team-high 12 points against the Lakers, with Becca Fugate adding 11 points. Moore, Shea Tripp, and Sophia Karasinski all grabbed four rebounds apiece, while Kate McArthur had a career-high five steals. Tripp tallied three assists.

Fugate totaled a team-high 15 points against the Panthers, including two made triples. Karasinski and McArthur also made two three-pointers. McArthur paced the squad in steals with three. Karasinski was 5-of-8 from the floor in scoring 12 points. Moore contributed nine rebounds.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
Wayne State ranks 23rd nationally in defensive rebounds per game (29.3), 28th in assists per game (16.1), 36th in free throw percentage (.759), and 43rd in three-point percentage defense (.271).

Individually, Shea Tripp is 38th in free throw percentage (.864), while Becca Fugate would rank tied-for-33rd in three-point percentage (.418) 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 14.9 PPG. She also leads the team in triples (28), rebounds (97 / 6.5 RPG), and field goal percentage (.503 / 73-of-145).
Sophomore Shea Tripp is scoring 10.9 points per contest, and leads WSU in assists (53), steals (32) and blocks (9).

Senior forward Maxine Moore has scored 164 points (10.9 PPG) and is the third Warrior shooting over 80 percent from the foul line (25-of-31 / .806) joining Tripp (.864 / 38-of-44) and Fugate (.820 / 50-of-61).

WORKING OVERTIME
With their overtime defeat at Davenport, the Warriors have lost three OT games in a season for the first time in program history. They previously lost games in the extra session at Saginaw Valley State and vs. Northern Michigan. The third defeat eclipses seven other years where WSU lost two overtime games in a season.

The three losses in the extra period is a change from the past two seasons, where the Warriors went 2-1 and 3-0 in OT. If WSU plays in a fourth overtime contest, it will tie the record set by the teams of 1990-1991 and 1999-2000.

Of historical note, the program once lost two overtime games on the same day back on January 24, 1976, at the Windsor Tournament. WSU was defeated by Central Michigan 69-67 and by Eastern Michigan 77-74.

BEING OFFENSIVE IN 2023
Senior guard Becca Fugate followed up a 45-point weekend vs. Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech by scoring in double-figures in both games at Grand Valley State and Davenport. Fugate has eight straight contests of 10 or more points and has scored in double-figures in 13 of WSU's 15 games this season. She is averaging 19.0 PPG and 7.4 rebounds per contest over the last eight outings.

Over the last eight games, senior forward Maxine Moore is averaging 14.3 PPG and 6.6 rebounds per contest. Moore nearly recorded a third double-double this season with nine points and nine rebounds at DU.

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 (88 compared to 47) and dished out more assists (18 compared to 5) than last year, while more than doubling the number of made field goals (32 compared to 14).

Tripp has greatly improved her rebounds per game average (6.2 compared to 3.8 last year), and has already surpassed her assist total from all of last season. Additionally, she has exceeded her point total from last season with 164 points, surpassing the 143 she scored last season.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
Every regular season home game will be streamed via Warrior All-Access at WSUAthletics.com. Veteran Wayne State broadcaster Kevin Brechmacher will call both games with Solae Pope-White serving as the analyst for both contests this weekend.

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Players Mentioned

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

#34 Sophia Karasinski: G; 5' 9"; Graduate Student

#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

#34 Sophia Karasinski
: 5' 9"; Graduate Student
: 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