Women's Basketball 12/17/2024 10:11:00 AM Henry Coyle, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Women's Hoops Prepares for Home-Road Split with Cedarville and Findlay

GAME STORYLINES
After defeating visiting Edinboro 71-63 last week, Wayne State will conclude the non-conference portion of its schedule with a pair of games against GMAC opponents this week. The Green and Gold will host Cedarville on Wednesday, before going on the road to face Findlay on December 21. The road contest against the Oilers will be the final game before the new year. WSU is 3-2 versus GMAC opponents this season.

SERIES HISTORY
The Warriors hold a 5-0 series advantage against Cedarville, winning the most recent meeting (11/15/2023) 78-68 on the road. All but one contest (2016) have been decided by a margin of 10 points or less, including a 2021 overtime battle in which the Green and Gold prevailed 85-83. WSU has won both previous games in Detroit.

When facing Findlay, WSU has posted a 24-22 overall record, including a 9-13 mark on the road. The previous meeting between Wayne State and UF (12/19/2023) resulted in a 71-46 Green and Gold victory on Dec. 19, 2023, marking Carrie Lohr's 200th win as head coach of the Warriors. WSU has been victorious in its last two trips to Findlay (81-75 on 11/19/2019, and 68-55 on 12/19/2022).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Cedarville enters Wednesday's match-up with a 5-3 overall record following a 77-64 setback at Tiffin on December 16th. The Yellow Jackets are averaging 66.6 points per game and allowing 66.9 points per contest.

Ella Sellars is the leading scorer for the Yellow Jackets, averaging 10.9 points per contest, while Elyssa Kincaid has grabbed a team-high 5.9 rebounds per match. KaCee Kyle leads CU with 25 assists, while Sellars and Brianna Zajicek have each recorded 16 steals. Both Sellars and Kyle have drained 11 shots from beyond the arc.
Addy Miller is in her second season at the helm for Cedarville. As head coach, she has compiled a 10-26 overall record. Prior to being named head coach, Miller spent time at both Drury and Pittsburg State in assistant roles.

Findlay has an 8-3 overall record, prior to its home contest against Purdue Northwest (12/19). Offensively, UF is averaging 68.7 points per game, while shooting 41 percent from the field.

Leading the way for the Oilers is Kate Ellis, who is scoring 14.2 points per game. The guard has scored in double figures in nine of the 11 games this season. Addisyn Freeman has grabbed a team-best 60 rebounds, while Chloe Callahan has made 15 triples.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
Forwards Shea Tripp and Taylor Thompson both appear in the top-50 of Division II in double-doubles, as Tripp ranks 18th with four and Thompson is at 50th with three. Tripp is 34th in assists per game (4.5). As a squad, the Warriors are 31st nationally among 290 teams in assists per game with 16.4.

TRIPP EYEING 1,000 CAREER POINTS
Senior forward Shea Tripp scored in double figures for the sixth time in eight games this season with 13 points in the win over Edinboro, which increased her career total to 979 points.

With 21 points, Tripp will become the 20th player in WSU women's basketball history to reach the 1,000th point plateau. Only six Tartars/Warriors have scored 1,000 points in less than 100 career games played - Shareta Brown (1,245 in 59 GP), Julie Filpus (1,195 in 89 GP), Delonda Little (1,174 in 94 GP), Jodi Young (1,097 in 56 GP), Mary Carney (1,088 in 62 GP), and Monice Thomas (1,074 in 56 GP).

FERGUSON LIFTING THE WARRIORS
McKenna Ferguson totaled a team-high 19 points in only 23 minutes in the 81-73 triumph over previously 8-1 Edinboro. After being held to three free throws in the opening stanza and not playing in the second period, Ferguson tallied 11 points and one assist in the third quarter. Ferguson went 5-of-6 from the charity stripe over the final six minutes plus contributed two steals and an assist in the decisive fourth stanza. Her triple early in the third period gave WSU its first lead of the game at 35-33. After the Fighting Scots regained the lead, her second triple put the Warriors in front (38-36). Her final triple of the period, extended WSU's advantage to 45-40. Ferguson's two free throws with just under six minutes remaining snapped a 54-54 deadlock. Her next two foul shots pushed the advantage to four at 63-59 with 2:46 left. Ferguson's final free throw made the margin eight (71-63).

She finished the game 4-of-6 from the floor, including 3-of-4 from beyond the arc, while making 8-of-10 foul shots. Ferguson also had two assists and two steals in the contest and recorded a plus-minus rating of +4 in both the third quarter and the fourth period.

LAST GAME RECAP
Wayne State earned its fifth victory of the 2024-25 campaign, defeating Edinboro 71-63 at home on December 11th.

Edinboro connected on its first two shot attempts to take an early 4-0 lead. A pair of Taylor Thompson free throws, and a triple from Gabi Lutchka sandwiched around two successful Edinboro foul shots put the Warriors down one (6-5) with. A long-range jumper from Hayley Sims at the 7:29 mark ignited a 14-4 Edinboro burst before an Annabel Ayrault three-pointer brought the Warriors within eight (20-12).

A jumper by Ava Haddad and a deep three by Sims gave the Fighting Scots their largest lead of the game (13) pushing the score to 25-12 leading to a WSU timeout. The Warriors scored five of the final seven points of the stanza to cut the deficit to 10 (27-17). The 27 points is the most that Wayne State has allowed in a single quarter this season.

ZaMaria Polk knocked down a quick basket in the paint before Ashten Boggs responded with two free throws extending the Fighting Scot lead to 10. The WSU defense held Edinboro to just two more points in the half, while scoring 11 of its own including back-to-back triples by Ayrault and Koko Sylvester to trail 31-30 at intermission. The four total points allowed is the fewest permitted by WSU in one quarter this campaign.

The Warriors claimed their first lead of the contest (35-33) on a McKenna Ferguson triple. WSU and EU went blow-for-blow for the remainder of the stanza, with neither team garnering a lead larger than five when Ferguson nailed another three giving the Green and Gold a 45-40 point lead.

After two buckets by Edinboro cut the Warrior lead to one, Lexi Boyke connected on her first three-pointer with 3:02 remaining in the third. The Fighting Scots scored the final four points of the stanza as the teams entered the fourth quarter tied at 48-48.

EU was ahead by two (50-48), before Shea Tripp scored on the two ensuing WSU possessions giving the hosts a 52-50 lead. The Green and Gold would not trail for the remainder of the game in claiming the 71-63 victory over the Fighting Scots.

LETTERWINNERS RETURNING
Wayne State has 12 players that have earned a letter with the Warriors. Alyssa Leister, Ally Shagena, and Shea Tripp have all collected three letters ahead of the 2024-25 season, with Taylor Thompson earning two. The Green and Gold have eight more players that have received a letter. Included in those eight are players that saw time during the 2022-23 season, or the 2023-24 season.

KEEP UP WITH THE ACTION
Every women's basketball home and GLIAC contest will be televised on FloSports (flohoops.com) per the conference's agreement with the streaming service. Brady Beedon and Joe Abramson will handle play-by-play duties for the home broadcasts during the 2024-25 campaign.

In addition, the WSU Department of Athletics has partnered with The PreP for streaming home athletic events for the 2024-25 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).

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Players Mentioned

#40 Annabel Ayrault: G; 5' 10"; Sophomore

#33 Lexi Boyke: F; 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman

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

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

#15 Gabi Lutchka: F; 5' 11"; Junior

#34 ZaMaria Polk: F; 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior

#14 Ally Shagena: F; 5' 11"; Graduate Student

#5 Koko Sylvester: G; 5' 6"; Freshman

#30 Taylor Thompson: F; 5' 11"; Junior

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

Players Mentioned

#40 Annabel Ayrault
: 5' 10"; Sophomore
: G

#33 Lexi Boyke
: 6' 0"; Redshirt Freshman
: F

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

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

#15 Gabi Lutchka
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

#34 ZaMaria Polk
: 6' 3"; Redshirt Senior
: F

#14 Ally Shagena
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student
: F

#5 Koko Sylvester
: 5' 6"; Freshman
: G

#30 Taylor Thompson
: 5' 11"; Junior
: F

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