DETROIT -- Playing its final game before the New Year, the Wayne State University men's basketball team (5-5 overall) blew past Redeemer University (3-7 overall) 106-65 on Saturday afternoon inside the WSU Fieldhouse.  The Warriors will take a three-game winning streak into 2025 when GLIAC play will start back up.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Wayne State scored 37 of the game's first 46 points, a run that elapsed nearly 12 minutes of game time.  During that stretch, the home team shot 66.7 percent from the field (14-of-21), 41.7 percent from behind the arc (5-of-12) and was 4-of-4 at the free throw line.  Seven different players contributed to the scoring featuring Rob Lee, Jr. (Flint, Mich. / Beecher) at the top, who notched 11 of his 15 points in that span.

In that same stretch, Redeemer converted just four of its 18 field goal attempts (22.2 percent), including 1-of-9 from deep (11.1 percent), and turned the ball over three times.

From that point until the final first half buzzer, the scoring was much more balanced, but still saw the home team top its visitors by nine at 26-17.  In those eight-plus minutes, Carlos Paul III (Southfield, Mich. / Cornerstone Lincoln-King [Missouri State - West Plains]) was the ringleader for the Warriors with eight of his game-high 18 points.

Heading into the locker rooms, Wayne State enjoyed a 37-point advantage 63-26 and had shot 65.8 percent (25-of-38) to Redeemer's 32.3 percent (10-of-31) clip.  The Warriors racked up 21 assists to just three turnovers in the contest's initial 20 minutes.

Second Half
Out of the break, Wayne State increased its lead to as many as 47 on four different occasions -- 82-35, 94-47, 99-52 and 106-59.  The closest Redeemer could get was 39 (65-26) right out of the intermission before the final margin of 41.

The Warriors tallied 43 points to the Royals' 39 with 13 assist to 11 turnovers in the final 20 minutes.  WSU handled RU 26-10 in the paint for that stanza and still managed to convert at 57.6 (19-of-33) percent from the floor.

TEAM STATS
Wayne State reached the century mark in points for the first time since the 2010-11 campaign, a season in which it was accomplished twice.  The Warriors defeated Marygrove 117-61 on Nov. 23 and Tiffin 102-72 on Jan. 20.

Against Redeemer, the Warriors shot an even 62 percent (44-of-71) overall, 38.7 percent (12-of-31) from long range and 85.7 percent (6-of-7) at the charity stripe.  The Royals countered those numbers with clips of 35.9 percent (23-of-64), 36.8 percent (14-of-38) and 83.3 percent (5-of-6), respectively.

Wayne State won the rebounding battle by 26 at 48-22, including 20 on the defensive glass, 38-18.  The hosts also had a severe upper hand in paint scoring (62-18) and fast-break points (27-14).

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Seven Warriors put up 10 or more points apiece, led by Paul III's 18.  The other six included Lee, Jr.'s 15, Carmelo Harris (Flint, Mich. / Beecher) with 14 and Adam Ayrault (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North) with 14 before three players with 10 each.  That trio was Bryce Esman (Metamora, Mich. / Oxford) who tied his career high, Ray Williams, Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / Edison Public School Academy) and Kareem Aburashed (West Bloomfield, Mich. / Detroit Country Day [Macomb CC]).

Harris also brought down seven rebounds (tied career best) to go with six assists (season high) while Jon Brantley (Farmington Hills, Mich. / Brother Rice [Lafayette College]) added six dimes (personal best) as well.  Defensively, five Warriors blocked a shot attempt and Kelvin Tamakloe (Accra, Ghana / Spring Creek Academy [Blinn College]) secured four steals for a new career high.

LEADING THE ROYALS
Three Royals eclipsed 10 points, Brendan Morris with 16, Gabriel Della Foresta with 14 and Jeremiah Della Foresta with 11.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will travel to No. 17 Lake Superior State on Thursday, Jan. 2 for the first of 18 straight league games to finish the 2024-25 regular season.  Five of the last six meetings between the two teams have been decided by single digits, including two by just two points last season.