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Wayne State University Athletics

Gabi Lutchka vs. Grand Valley State (02/08/2024)
Marissa Krynak
Gabi Lutchka had a game-high 19 points and a team-best seven rebounds in the win at Hillsdale.
80
Winner Wayne St. (MI) Wayne 2-2,0-0 GLIAC
67
Hillsdale HC 2-3,0-0 G-MAC
Winner
Wayne St. (MI) Wayne
2-2,0-0 GLIAC
80
Final
67
Hillsdale HC
2-3,0-0 G-MAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Wayne St. (MI) Wayne 19 12 20 29 80
Hillsdale HC 16 16 19 16 67

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Women's Basketball Wins 80-67 At Hillsdale Behind Strong Fourth Quarter

All five WSU starters score in double figures.

HILLSDALE, Mich. -- The Wayne State University women's basketball team (2-2 overall), in its only road game out of its first nine contests, posted an 80-67 triumph at Hillsdale College (2-1 overall) Wednesday evening at HC's Dawn Tibbets Potter Arena.  The game was tied at 51-51 after 30 minutes, but WSU out-scored the hosts 29-16 over the final 10 minutes.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Warriors started strong scoring eight of the game's first 11 points on a bucket by senior Shea Tripp (Jackson, Mich. / Michigan Center), a triple by junior Gabi Lutchka (Grass Lake, Mich.) and a conventional three-point play by junior Taylor Thompson (Grand Blanc, Mich.).  The last six minutes of the period were nearly even with the Chargers holding a 13-11 edge.

Sophomore McKenna Ferguson (Grandville, Mich. / Byron Center) scored WSU's first points after the media timeout, and connected from beyond the arc plus another field goal in the final 110 seconds of the stanza giving WSU a 19-16 edge after 10 minutes.

Redshirt sophomore Hillary Griffin (Jackson, Mich. / Parma Western) made her first appearance since March 1, 2023, after missing all last season with an injury and the first three games this season.

Second Quarter
Redshirt freshman Lexi Boyke (Frankenmuth, Mich.) scored on her first trip after being subbed in.  Her bucket put Wayne State ahead 23-18.  It was Boyke's first game action since her senior year of high school in March of 2023, when she tallied 16 points in the MHSAA Division 2 state championship game at the Breslin Center.

Unfortunately, the Warriors only made one field goal in the final 5:30 of the first half, while Hillsdale tallied 12 points including their final four from the charity stripe.

Ferguson led WSU with eight points at intermission, with Tripp contributing six points.  Both Kendall McCormick and Lauren McDonald had eight points for HC after 20 minutes.

Third Quarter
Wayne State scored five of the first nine points, but HC answered after the first timeout of the period with a 3-2 run before the media timeout.  Over the final 4:33 of the stanza, WSU had a 13-12 scoring advantage to knot the game at 51-51.  Senior Alyssa Leister (St. Louis, Mich. / Alma) drained two triples in the final 3:05 of the period, while Lutchka chipped in with five points in the quarter.

Fourth Quarter
Lutchka started the final period with a triple.  After a Charger bucket, Thompson made a field goal and Tripp followed with four consecutive points on two foul shots and a basket for a 60-53 advantage for the Warriors.  During a two-plus minute scoring drought for Hillsdale, the WSU offense received a field goal by junior Mackenzie Miller (Schoolcraft, Mich. [Lakeland University]) and an old-fashioned three-point play by Leister, which extended the Wayne State advantage to 10 (65-55).

Lutchka answered a pair of HC baskets, with two of her own keeping the lead at nine (69-60).  WSU's final eight points came from the charity stripe as the Warriors made 8-of-10 foul shots in the final two minutes to seal the road victory.  Wayne State shot 62 percent (8-of-13) from the field in the final stanza, including 2-of-3 from downtown, in addition to the 11-of-13 (85 percent) at the foul line.

TEAM STATS
Wayne State shot 48 percent (26-of-54) from the floor, while HC connected on 42 percent (26-of-62) of its field goal attempts.  WSU was 7-of-16 (44 percent) from beyond the arc, with the Chargers shooting 35 percent (7-of-20) from three-point range.  The Warriors were 21-of-26 (81 percent) at the foul line, while Hillsdale was 8-of-10 (80 percent).  HC won the battle of the boards 33-29, but WSU won in points off turnovers (20-13).

LEADING THE WARRIORS
All five starters scored in double figures led by Lutchka's game-high 19 points, and team-best seven rebounds.  Tripp contributed 14 points, while both Leister and Ferguson added 12 points with Leister dishing out a team-best four assists.  Thompson tallied 11 points.  Leister and senior Ally Shagena (Fort Gratiot, Mich. / Port Huron Northern) each had three steals.

LEADING THE CHARGERS
Savannah Smith scored a team-best 15 points, while McCormick nearly had a double-double with 14 points and a game-high nine rebounds.  McDonald chipped in with 13 points and a game-best five assists, but also had five turnovers before fouling out.

WARRIOR TIDBITS
Hillsdale entered the game allowing just 58 points per contest, and holding three of its first four opponents to 53 points or below, but WSU tallied 80 points in the win.  It was WSU's first game with all five starters scoring in double figures since a 93-61 road win at Purdue Northwest on Dec. 2, 2017.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will conclude its pre-Thanksgiving slate with a 3 p.m. home contest on Saturday vs. Tiffin at the WSU Fieldhouse.

 
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