Women's Basketball 12/14/2023 4:40:00 PM Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Women's Hoops to Host Findlay Before Holiday Break

The Warriors return to non-conference action against the Oilers on Tuesday, December 19.

GAME STORYLINES
After a road split to begin GLIAC action at Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech, Wayne State will return to non-conference play against the University of Findlay on Tuesday, December 19 at 5:30 p.m. from the Wayne State Fieldhouse.

The Warriors had their six-game win streak snapped in an 81-66 setback at NMU, before bouncing back and posting a 61-42 victory at MTU. WSU will play a pair of G-MAC schools in UF and Northwood (December 30) prior to returning to league play in the new year.

Carrie Lohr can win her 200th game as the Warriors' head coach at home on Tuesday vs. the Oilers.

SERIES HISTORY
Former league foes Wayne State and Findlay have seen each other 45 times in the all-time series between 1990 and 2022, with 37 of those being GLIAC contests. The Warriors grabbed a 23-22 lead in the all-time series following back-to-back road triumphs on November 19, 2019, (81-75) and December 19, 2022 (68-55).

Tuesday's battle will be the first time that the Oilers will play in the Wayne State Fieldhouse, which opened prior to the 2021-22 campaign. UF's last game in Detroit was also its last win in the series – a 71-51 victory on November 9, 2018, at the Matthaei. Despite the most recent result, the Green and Gold are 12-8 at home against its former GLIAC opponent.

SCOUTING THE OILERS
Findlay enters its road contest on Friday at Purdue Northwest with a 5-4 overall record and a 1-2 ledger in the G-MAC. Tuesday's game in Detroit concludes a heavy GLIAC non-conference slate for the Oilers, as the Warriors will be UF's sixth opponent this season within the conference it used to call home. Findlay is 3-1 in four completed GLIAC games entering Friday's tilt at PNW.

Kate Ellis is one of the premier scorers in the G-MAC, as she ranks fifth in the league at 16.0 points per game. The senior guard has shown an ability to draw fouls, as she has attempted 47 free throws (15 more than any other Oilers player) and has made 40 of those foul shots (.851). Ellis also leads her team with 13 steals.

Alyssa Ziehler is another sharpshooter for UF, with the sophomore forward pacing her squad in field goals made (54) and field goal percentage (.574). Ziehler averages 7.0 rebounds per game to rank sixth in the G-MAC, and her five total blocked shots is best on the Oilers. Junior guard Chloe Callahan has the best three-point percentage on the team (.409), while one made triple short of the team lead (10) held by junior guard Janae Hoying. Hoying has dished out 28 assists, 10 more than anyone else on the Findlay squad.

Michele Durand is in her second season as head coach of the Oilers. She led UF to a 7-21 mark during her first campaign in 2022-23. Durand spent 19 seasons (2002-20) as head coach at Division III Ohio Northern University, becoming the all-time winningest basketball coach in ONU history at 333-185 (.643).

LAST WEEKEND RECAP
WSU fell 81-66 at Northern Michigan, before recording a 61-42 victory at Michigan Tech to conclude the U.P. road trip on a high note. The Warriors were forced to play in the Wildcats' practice gymnasium (PEIF Gym) due to a court issue at the Berry Events Center. The opening 10 minutes would tell the story of the contest. NMU started the game on a 9-0 run, before Shea Tripp ended the nearly 2:30 scoring drought for Wayne State with a pair of foul shots. The Wildcats led 15-6 near the mid-point of the opening stanza, but that lead was quickly evaporated thanks to a 10-0 WSU run to give the guests a 16-15 advantage with just under three minutes remaining. However, that would be the only lead for the Green and Gold. Northern Michigan ended the first half on a 20-7 run and led the rest of the way in a 15-point win. Tripp (26 points) and Gabi Lutchka (a career-best 20) totaled 46 of WSU's 66 points.

The match-up at MTU saw the opposite story for the Warriors, as they held the host Huskies to just four points in the first quarter at the SDC Gym. Wayne State tallied the first 13 points of the afternoon and held Michigan Tech scoreless for the first 5:25. The Green and Gold led wire-to-wire and secured a 19-point triumph. The win at Michigan Tech snapped a seven-game losing streak vs. the Huskies. Wayne State's last triumph in the series was a 71-69 win on February 22, 2018.

LOHR AND FUGATE APPROACHING MILESTONES
Carrie Lohr is quickly approaching a milestone for her Wayne State women's basketball head coaching career. She earned her 199th victory as WSU head coach in the win at Michigan Tech, and can tally her 200th vs. Findlay before the holiday break. Lohr passed Gloria Bradley (2000-11) to become the all-time winningest coach for the program on January 10, 2019, in a 76-67 victory at Purdue Northwest for her 127th triumph.

Becca Fugate is chasing a milestone of her own during the early portion of the 2023-24 campaign. The redshirt senior played in her 111th and 112th career games on the road at Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech, putting her in sole possession of fifth on the all-time leaderboard for games played in program history. Brittany Streetman currently holds the record at 118 GP between 2012 and 2016. If Fugate plays in each of the next seven contests, she will pass Streetman for the all-time lead on January 20, 2024, at home vs. Saginaw Valley State.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
Through December 13, Wayne State ranks 26th out of 291 programs in the country in three-pointers per game (7.8), 33rd in three-point percentage (.357), 38th in points per game (74.7), 39th in both steals per game (11.6) and field goal percentage (.442), 46th in turnover margin (3.89), 48th in assists per game (15.8), and 56th in free throw percentage (.755).

Individually, Kate McArthur ranks 16th in the country in both steals (29) and steals per game (3.22), 53rd in assists (39), and 50th in assists per game (4.3). Shea Tripp is 28th in steals (26) and 32nd in steals per game (2.89). Becca Fugate ranks 41st in three-point percentage (.442), while Mckenna Ferguson is 45th in free throw percentage (.885).

PACING THE GLIAC
Wayne State's 7-2 start to the season has put the squad in the upper echelon of the GLIAC in several team and individual categories. Entering play on December 15, WSU ranks second behind Ferris State in points per game (74.4) and third behind Michigan Tech and Parkside in three-point percentage (.357). Wayne State is also fifth both in field goal percentage (.442) and free throw percentage (.755). In ball control categories, the Warriors lead the league in steals per game (11.6), which is just ahead of FSU's 11.5. The team ranks third in assists per game (15.8) behind the Bulldogs and Rangers.

Kate McArthur's 29 steals and 3.22 steals per game are both best in the GLIAC, with Shea Tripp's 26 steals and 2.89 steals per game right behind in second. McArthur also leads the conference in assists (39). Gabi Lutchka leads the GLIAC with a .625 three-point percentage (10-of-16) and places third in the league with a .680 field goal percentage (34-of-50).

CONFERENCE PLAYERS OF THE WEEK
A Wayne State Warrior has held the GLIAC's Offensive Player of the Week honor for back-to-back weeks, as Becca Fugate and Shea Tripp have both been recognized by the conference in 2023-24 for the first time in their collegiate careers. Fugate received the honor by draining five of her seven field goal attempts to score 13 points in the win at Edinboro, before tallying a game-high 20 points (6-of-8 3-PT) in the home triumph vs. D'Youville. Tripp notched back-to-back 26-point outings at Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech to earn the Player of the Week nod on December 11. She added 11 rebounds at MTU for her first double-double of the season, the fifth of her career, and second for a Warrior this campaign.

LUTCHKA GARNERS FIRST START
Gabi Lutchka earned her first collegiate starting role at Michigan Tech in her 20th career game. The sophomore forward nearly posted a double-double in the win, contributing nine points and eight rebounds over 32 minutes. After not playing in the opening two games at Ashland and Malone, Lutchka has made her mark on the squad's 6-1 record over the past seven contests she has played in. She has scored eight or more in points in every game and notched double-figures four times, with a season and career-best of 20 vs. D'Youville on December 3.

Lutchka joins McKenna Ferguson (November 15 at Cedarville), Annabel Ayrault (November 17 vs. Tiffin), and Ally Shagena (November 26 vs. Lawrence Tech) as Warriors that have made their first collegiate starts in the 2023-24 season for head coach Carrie Lohr.

GLIAC PRESEASON POLL
1. Grand Valley State (79 points, 7 first-place votes)
2. Ferris State (73 points, 3 first-place votes)
3. Michigan Tech (66 points)
4. Northern Michigan (52 points)
5. Wayne State (46 points)
6. Parkside (40 points)
7. Saginaw Valley State (37 points)
8. Davenport (22 points)
9. Purdue Northwest (19 points)
10. Lake Superior State (16 points)

KEEP UP WITH THE ACTION
Every women's basketball GLIAC contest this season (with the exception of the road contest at Purdue Northwest) will be televised on FloSports (flohoops.com) per the conference's agreement with the streaming service. All home non-conference games will also be available on FloSports for the 2023-24 campaign. For the home game against Findlay on Tuesday (5:30 p.m.), Brady Beedon will handle play-by-play duties for the women's basketball broadcast. Beedon and Joe Abramson will share play-by-play responsibilities for home telecasts all season long, with veteran Tony Ortiz joining the team as sideline reporter for weekend contests.

In addition, the WSU Department of Athletics has partnered with The PreP for streaming home athletic events for the 2023-24 season. For road GLIAC contests, Wayne State men's basketball play-by-play voice Kevin Brechmacher will provide audio for free through WSUAthletics.com (Warrior All-Access).

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#12 Annabel Ayrault: G; 5' 9"; Freshman

#21 McKenna Ferguson: G; 5' 7"; Freshman

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

#44 Gabi Lutchka: F; 5' 11"; Sophomore

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

#14 Ally Shagena: F; 5' 11"; Junior

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

Players Mentioned

#12 Annabel Ayrault
: 5' 9"; Freshman
: G

#21 McKenna Ferguson
: 5' 7"; Freshman
: G

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

#44 Gabi Lutchka
: 5' 11"; Sophomore
: F

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

#14 Ally Shagena
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

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