Women's Basketball 12/6/2023 12:33:00 PM Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Women's Basketball Begins GLIAC Slate With U.P. Trip

Warriors to visit Northern Michigan (Thursday) and Michigan Tech (Saturday)

GAME STORYLINES
Wayne State will begin GLIAC play this week with trips to Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech. Tip between the Warriors and Wildcats in Marquette is scheduled for 5:30 p.m. on Thursday, December 7. WSU and MTU will battle at 1 p.m. on Saturday, December 9, in Houghton.

The Warriors will be carrying a six-game win streak into their Thursday meeting with NMU. The squad last won seven consecutive contests during the 2017-18 campaign.

Carrie Lohr can win her 200th game as Warriors' head coach as early as this Saturday at the Huskies.

SERIES HISTORY
Northern Michigan holds a 35-27 advantage in the all-time series between the two schools. WSU has notched wins in three of the last four meetings, including a 69-64 triumph at NMU in the most recent affair on February 4, 2023. Wayne State is 12-19 all-time on the road against the Wildcats.

Michigan Tech has a 47-20 edge in the all-time series, including an 80-71 win in a GLIAC Quarterfinal contest between the two schools last March. The Huskies have won the last seven meetings dating back to 2019. The Green and Gold's last win over their Houghton foes came in a two-point decision (71-69) on February 22, 2018.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Northern Michigan has lost its last three games entering GLIAC action after winning its first four. The key name to watch for offensively is Makaylee Kuhn. The senior guard averages 17.1 points per game (second in the conference) and 7.1 rebounds per game (fifth in the GLIAC). Kuhn has knocked down 36-of-80 field goal attempts (.450) and 44-of-50 free throw attempts (.880). She is also the team leader in rebounds with 50.

Sophomore guard Sarah Newcomer paces the Wildcats in three-pointers made (13), while junior guard Mackenzie Holzwart holds the team lead in assists (24) and steals (9). Holzwart was named GLIAC Defensive Player of the Week following week three of the season. Redshirt junior center Ana Rhude has posted five blocked shots for NMU.

Northern Michigan is led by head coach Casey Thousand in her second season. She led the Wildcats to a 15-13 record in 2022-23, the team's most wins in a season since 2018-19.

Michigan Tech has dropped three of its past four after winning its first three contests. MTU will battle Saginaw Valley State on Thursday before the Warriors come to town on Saturday. The Huskies are a dangerous shooting team as they lead the GLIAC in field goal percentage (.491), three-point percentage (.402), and free throw percentage (.867).

MTU has maintained the same starting five in all seven games, and all average at least 8.4 points per game. Alyssa Wypych (14.7 PPG), Isabella Lenz (13.6 PPG), Katelyn Meister (11.1 PPG), and Alex Rondorf (11.1 PPG) all average in double figures. Rondorf, a senior guard, has knocked down 27 of her 39 field goal attempts to place third in the conference in FG percentage (.692). She is also the Huskies' leader in rebounds (43) and steals (nine). Lenz, a junior guard, is fourth in the league in assists per game (4.43). Wypych is a freshman guard who has already been named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week in part due to her .459 field goal percentage (34-of-74) and .450 3-PT percentage (18-of-40).

Sam Clayton is in her sixth season at the helm of the Michigan Tech program. She has compiled a 99-48 (.674) overall record and a 69-26 (.726) ledger in the GLIAC.

LAST GAME RECAP
WSU won its sixth straight game with an 86-67 triumph vs. D'Youville last Sunday. The lead exchanged hands twice in the opening minute before the Warriors pulled away to lead the remainder of the game. Becca Fugate became the second Warrior to score 20 or more points (Shea Tripp had 23 at Malone) with an even 20 for the contest, which was a game high. She went 6-of-8 from beyond the arc. Gabi Lutchka totaled a career-best 19 points on a near-perfect shooting (8-of-9). Alyssa Leister also set a career-high with 16 points in the triumph.

GOING STREAKIN'
Since losing the season-opening game at #1-Ashland, the Warriors have reeled off six consecutive victories over Malone, Cedarville, Tiffin, Lawrence Tech, Edinboro, and D'Youville. The last winning streak of six games prior to this season came between November 9 and December 5, 2019. In that streak, the Green and Gold posted wins against Lake Erie, Central State (Ohio), Findlay, Wright State-Lake, Tiffin, and Ferris State.

The most recent seven-game winning streak came between January 4 and January 27, 2018, which included all GLIAC games during the 2017-18 campaign. WSU won 10 in a row during its 2014-15 season between December 15 and January 22. That was also the most recent NCAA Tournament appearance for the program.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
Including action through December 4, Wayne State ranks 19th out of 291 programs nationally in field goal percentage (.462), 24th in scoring offense (77.6 points per game), 34th in steals per game (11.9), 41st in three-point percentage (.357), 47th in assists per game (15.9), 49th in turnover margin (4.29), and 55th in free throw percentage (.756).

Individually, Shea Tripp ranks 19th in the country in both steals (23) and steals per game (3.29), while placing 49th in field goal percentage (.547). Kate McArthur is 24th in steals (22), 25th in steals per game (3.14), 38th in assists per game (4.6), and 51st in assists (32). Becca Fugate ranks 58th in the nation in three-point percentage (.429).
PACING THE GLIAC
Wayne State's 6-1 start to the season has put the squad in the upper echelon of the GLIAC in several team and individual categories.

Entering play on Dec. 5, WSU ranks second behind Ferris State in points per game (77.6) and runner-up behind Michigan Tech in three-point percentage (.357), third in field goal percentage (.462), fourth in free throw percentage (.756). In ball control categories, the Warriors sit second behind FSU in assists per game (15.9), third in steals per game (11.9), and tied-for-fifth in blocked shots per game (2.6). Success in these statistics has helped the Green and Gold place third in the league standings entering conference play, just below nationally-ranked schools in Grand Valley State and Ferris State.

LOHR AND FUGATE APPROACHING MILESTONES
Carrie Lohr is quickly approaching a milestone for her Wayne State women's basketball head coaching career due to her squad's six game win streak. She earned her 198th victory as WSU head coach in the victory against D'Youville on December 3, and can tally her 200th as early as this weekend at Michigan Tech. Lohr passed Gloria Bradley (2000-11) to become the all-time winningest coach for the program on January 10, 2019, in a 76-67 triumph 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 her 110th career game in the win vs. D'Youville, putting her seventh 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 nine contests, she will pass Streetman for the all-time lead on January 20, 2024, at home vs. Saginaw Valley State.

The guard also earned a personal achievement this week by being named GLIAC Offensive Player of the Week for the first time in her collegiate career. Fugate drained five of her seven field goal attempts to score 13 points in the win at Edinboro, before scoring a game-high 20 points vs. DYU. Her performance against the Saints included knocking down six of her eight attempts from beyond the arc. Fugate has scored 10 or more points in five straight games.

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. Joe Abramson and Brady Beedon 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. Also, Kevin Brechmacher will broadcast the play-by-play of women's road GLIAC contests for free through WSUAthletics.com starting with Thursday's game at Northern Michigan.

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Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

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

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

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

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

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