Skip To Main Content
Skip To Main Content

Wayne State University Athletics

Gabi Lutchka
Marissa Krynak
Gabi Lutchka tied for game-high scoring honors with 17 points.
67
Winner Malone MU 1-0
60
Wayne State WSU-W 0-1
Winner
Malone MU
1-0
67
Final
60
Wayne State WSU-W
0-1
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Malone MU 11 21 18 17 67
Wayne State WSU-W 19 14 11 16 60

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

Women's Basketball Drops Season Opener 67-60 To Visiting Malone

Tripp notches double-double; Lutchka scores a team-high 17 points.

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (0-1 overall) began its 2024-25 regular season with a 67-60 home court setback to Malone University (1-0 overall) on Friday afternoon at the WSU Fieldhouse.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
The Warriors scored seven of the first nine points on buckets by junior Taylor Thompson (Grand Blanc, Mich.) and senior Shea Tripp (Jackson, Mich. / Michigan Center) sandwiched around a triple by senior Alyssa Leister (St. Louis, Mich. / Alma) after the visiting Pioneers had knotted the score at 2-2.  Five consecutive points by junior Gabi Lutchka (Grass Lake, Mich.) extended the hosts advantage to 12-4 just over six minutes into the contest.

Less than 90 seconds later Lutchka drained another triple pushing the margin to nine (15-6).  Malone scored five on the final nine points of the period during the last four minutes.

WSU led 19-11 after 10 minutes paced by eight points from Lutchka, while Erin Kaufman led Malone with five points and four rebounds.

Second Quarter
A lay-up by senior Ally Shagena (Fort Gratiot, Mich. / Port Huron Northern) 50 seconds into the second stanza pushed the lead to 10 (21-11).  A Shagena basket off a feed from Tripp regained the 10-point advantage (23-13).  

The Wayne State margin remained between six and nine points for the next four minutes until the Pioneers went on an 8-0 run to pull within one at 30-29 with 94 seconds left before halftime.  

A shot from beyond the arc by Lutchka stopped the run by Malone, but MU's Kyli Horn connected from long range in the final seconds prior to intermission.

After holding Malone to 28 percent from the floor (5-of-18) in the first quarter, the Warrior defense allowed 21 points in the second quarter as the Pioneers shot 62 percent (8-of-13) from the field, including 5-of-9 from three-point range.  Lutchka had a game-high 13 points after 20 minutes, while MU's Brinn Hunt made three triples for nine points.

Third Quarter
After a Warrior turnover on its opening possession, Kaufman scored from inside giving the visitors their first lead of the game at 34-33.  A triple by Brooklyn Troyer preceded a jumper by Lutchka.  Troyer connected again from long range, but Lutchka answered with a lay-up.

Wayne State pulled within two points (42-40) after Shagena split a pair from the charity stripe, with Lutchka grabbing an offensive rebound on the miss and feeding Tripp for an easy lay-up.  A basket by Tripp with just over three minutes left in the period tied the game at 42-42, but Malone responded with eight consecutive points.  Shagena made two foul shots in the final minute of the stanza cutting the deficit to six (50-44).

Fourth Quarter
WSU pulled within three (52-49) with just over seven minutes remaining on an old-fashioned three-point play by Thompson.  After a Malone foul shot, Tripp made two free throws to trim the deficit to two (53-51) with 4:36 left, however the Pioneers tallied nine of the next 10 points to push their advantage to 10 (62-52) with 1:40 remaining.

The Warriors trailed by six (62-56) after a fast-break lay-up by freshman Koko Sylvester (Toledo, Ohio / Start) with 31 seconds left, but MU made five of six from the charity stripe to seal the road win.

TEAM STATS
Wayne State held a slim 41 percent (23-of-56) to 40 percent (23-of-57) advantage in field goal shooting.  Malone shot 29 percent (9-of-31) from beyond the arc, compared to WSU's 19 percent (4-of-21).  MU made 12-of-17 free throws (71 percent), while the Warriors were 10-of-15 (67 percent).  Both teams had 20 turnovers, while Malone held a 38-34 edge in rebounding.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Lutchka led three WSU players in double figures with 17 points, while Shagena scored a career-high 12 points.  Tripp notched her 10th career double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds, while also chipping in a team-best five assists and a game-high four steals.

LEADING THE PIONEERS
Kaufman tied for game-high scoring honors with 17 points and a team-best eight rebounds.  Hunt was the only other Malone player in double digits with 15 points.  Nataley Armstrong dished out a team-best five assists, while contributing nine points and three steals.

UP NEXT
Wayne State remains at home to face fifth-ranked Ashland on Sunday at 2 p.m.

 
Print Friendly Version