Men's Basketball 2/15/2023 3:48:00 PM Cooper Weidenthaler, Sports Communications Specialist

Men's Basketball To Play Final Two Home Games Of The Season

Wayne State will host Davenport on Thursday and Grand Valley State on Saturday.

STORYLINES
Wayne State will play its final two home games of the 2022-23 regular season this week by hosting Davenport for a 7:30 p.m. tip on Thursday and Grand Valley State on Senior Day Saturday for a 3 p.m. start. Saddled by a seven-game losing streak, the Warriors will be looking to right the ship as well as stay eligible for the GLIAC Tournament (currently tied for seventh with the top eight qualifying).

Davenport just snapped a five-game skid of its own defeating Michigan Tech at home, 77-71, this past Saturday. As for Grand Valley State, the Lakers have been victorious in three straight contests and seven of their last eight since falling to Wayne State at home, 72-63, on Jan. 12.

THE SERIES
Wayne State and Davenport have met just 11 times in the all-time series as the Panthers didn't join the GLIAC until the 2017-18 season. DU leads the series by one, 6-5, but the Warriors have taken three of the last five meetings between the two teams, including an 80-66 victory in Grand Rapids last month.

Grand Valley State has the upper hand in the all-time series with Wayne State, 53-37, and even leads the Warriors in Detroit, 25-21. However, like Davenport, WSU has the last laugh right now defeating the Lakers, 72-63, last month in Allendale.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Davenport, the defending GLIAC Tournament Champion, has struggled a bit in 2022-23 going 7-17 overall and 3-11 in GLIAC play. The Panthers have a record of 3-8 away from home and are just 2-6 in true road games.

With that being said, DU is paced by the top scorer in the GLIAC in Marcedus Leech, Jr. and his 20.7 points per game. Leech is one of three Panthers averaging in double figures scoring wise along with Jakub Dombek (14.6 PPG - hasn't played since Dec. 19) and Jordan Sterling (12.0 PPG).

Dombek brings down 7.0 rebounds per game, a number that would lead the league if he were eligible, but instead DU's top eligible rebounder is Chaz Birchfield with 5.7 per contest, tied for ninth in the conference.

Sterling has been doing it all for the Panthers, though, as he leads the squad in both assists per game with 2.4 and steals per outing with 1.5.

As for Grand Valley State, the Lakers have been one of the hottest teams in the GLIAC. GVSU has lost just three times at home this season (8-3), one of those three losses being to Wayne State, but has gone 7-6 away from Allendale.

Grand Valley State's offense features balanced scoring as 10 of the 13 players that have seen the court average at least five points per game, with Marius Grazulis at the top averaging 12.4 PPG.

Minutes wise, the balance is still there as Jalen Charity plays the most per game for the Lakers (24.5 MPG), a number that ranks 34th in the league. For GVSU, all but three players are on the court between 15 and 25 minutes per outing.

Grazulis is the team's top rebounder (6.4 RPG), while Daniel Kiely dishes out 2.5 assists per game. Defensively, Chinedu Kingsley Okanu has racked up 24 blocks (fourth in the GLIAC), with Grazulis right behind him with 19. Britain Harris has notched 28 steals (tied-for-ninth in the GLIAC).

LAST GAME RECAP
Wayne State trailed Lake Superior State by just four points at halftime last Saturday, 29-25, inside Bud Cooper Gymnasium. However, the Lakers would go on to outscore the Warriors by 13 in the second half, 47-34, equaling a 76-59 defeat for WSU.

The first half was a back-and-forth affair that saw a combined five ties and four lead changes. However, Lake Superior State scored the first seven points of the half as well as seven of its last 10 to lead by four heading into the intermission. Wayne State's advantage was never bigger than two and that came at the 10:53 mark when it was 14-12.

Out of the break, LSSU rattled off an 11-2 run that made the margin 13 points, 40-27. From that point until the final buzzer sounded, the closest WSU could get was nine (41-32, 43-34) and the Lakers' pushed the margin to as large as 23 (73-50, 76-53).

Lake Superior State shot 50 percent (25-of-50) from the field to Wayne State's 39.6 percent (21-of-53), including three more three-pointers (11-of-17 to 8-of-21). The home team also made six more free throws than its visitors (15-of-25 to 9-of-17). The glass was won by the Lakers, but barely, 35-32, and the hosts turned the ball over just eight times to the away team's 11.

Kaimen Lennox scored a career-high 21 points to go with five rebounds, two assists and a pair of steals, while Ray Williams, Jr. tied his personal best set on Thursday night with 18 points. Williams also brought down nine rebounds and handed out two assists along with Lennox and Cortez Jackson. On the defensive end, Lennox and Nate Talbot each finished with two steals.

WARRIOR UPDATE
Wayne State continues to be lead by a trio of scorers averaging at least 10 points per game including Antonio Marshall (14.7 PPG, 16.3 PPG in GLIAC play), Avery Lewis (14.1 PPG, 14.8 PPG in GLIAC play) and Carmelo Harris (13.3 PPG, 11.6 PPG in GLIAC play).

Lewis is the team's top rebounder with 6.7 boards per contest, which leads the conference.

Defensively, the Warriors leader for both blocks and steals is Marshall with 12 blocks and 30 steals, respectively.

Efficiency wise, Lewis is the leader in field goal percentage (49.0 percent), Marshall for three-point field goal percentage (36.9) and Harris for free throw percentage (86.7 - first in the GLIAC).

INTRODUCING COACH SMOTHERS
Wayne State officially began a new era in the men's basketball program in November as 2020 Hall of Fame inductee Bryan Smothers became just the second former WSU student-athlete to lead the program (joining Newman Ertell who lettered from 1921-25, then became head coach in 1929 for the College of the City of Detroit).

Smothers is the 11th head coach (including interim) since Detroit Junior College began playing basketball in January of 1918.

The 2022-23 campaign is the 105th season of Wayne State basketball (no games were played in 1943-44 due to World War II).

LIVE ON WDTK
Kevin Brechmacher will call every Wayne State contest live on WDTK - The Patriot (1400 AM / 101.5 FM). Fans can also stream the action online at PatriotDetroit.com. Brechmacher will be joined by Chuck Key on Thursday night and Marcus Moore on Saturday afternoon.

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

Print Friendly Version

Players Mentioned

#11 Carmelo Harris: G; 5' 11"; Freshman

#4 Cortez Jackson: G; 6' 1"; Graduate Student

#22 Kaimen Lennox: G; 6' 2"; Junior

#33 Avery Lewis: F; 6' 6"; Redshirt Senior

#1 Antonio Marshall: G; 6' 4"; Redshirt Senior

#20 Nate Talbot: F; 6' 10"; Senior

#23 Ray Williams, Jr.: G/F; 6' 5"; Junior

Players Mentioned

#11 Carmelo Harris
: 5' 11"; Freshman
: G

#4 Cortez Jackson
: 6' 1"; Graduate Student
: G

#22 Kaimen Lennox
: 6' 2"; Junior
: G

#33 Avery Lewis
: 6' 6"; Redshirt Senior
: F

#1 Antonio Marshall
: 6' 4"; Redshirt Senior
: G

#20 Nate Talbot
: 6' 10"; Senior
: F

#23 Ray Williams, Jr.
: 6' 5"; Junior
: G/F