GAME STORYLINES
Wayne State resumes conference play after defeating Cedarville, 65-55, and falling 59-56 at Findlay.  The Warriors will travel to Sault Ste. Marie, Mich. for a Thursday contest against the Lake Superior State Lakers, before going on the road to Ferris State on Jan. 4.  The two contests will be the Green and Gold's  first competition of 2025.

SERIES HISTORY
Wayne State has a 45-42 lead in the all-time series against Lake Superior, however the Lakers are 25-15 at home vs. WSU.  In the 10 most recent meetings, WSU is 9-1 with the lone loss coming on the road on Feb. 11, 2023.

In the all-time series against Ferris State, the Warriors trail 40-44, and 20-24 when playing in Big Rapids.  Before last year's 64-74 loss, WSU had won eight straight games at FSU.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Despite opening the season 1-6, Lake Superior has rallied to win three straight contests improving its overall record to 4-6, with a 1-1 record against GLIAC opponents.  Along with their recent success, LSSU has posted a 2-0 record when playing on its home court, with wins against Illinois Springfield and Upper Iowa.

Leading the charge for the Lakers is junior forward Grace Bradford, who is averaging a double-double at 16.5 points and 11.0 rebounds per contest, both of which are team-highs.  Along with leading the squad in points and rebounds, the junior has team-best totals of 22 assists, 15 steals, and 11 blocks.  The Glen Arbor, Mich. native is coming off of a career performance vs. Upper Iowa, scoring 27 points and grabbing 10 rebounds, earning her seventh double-double of the campaign, and third straight.

Grace Howrigon is in her first season as head coach of the Lakers, and has guided them to a 4-6 record.  Prior to her time in Sault Ste. Marie, Howrigon was at the helm for Lawrence Tech, compiling a 69-72 record over five seasons.  

Ferris State has posted an 8-3 overall record and are 2-0 against GLIAC opponents entering their contest with Saginaw Valley State on Thursday.

Leading the way for the Bulldogs is senior guard Kadyn Blanchard, averaging a conference-high 17.8 points along with 5.4 rebounds per game.  Ahead of FSU's game against SVSU, Blanchard has tallied double-digit points in all but one contest this season. Kenzie Bowers is the team leader in assists with 37.

FSU is coached by Kurt Westendorp, who is in his fifth season as the head man.  Westendorp has compiled a 79-44 overall ledger, and is 45-31 in conference play.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Wayne State has played the ninth-toughest schedule in D2 (73-38, .658) and will play opponents that have a combined .530 winning percentage (96-85) over the final two months of the season.  The combined winning percentage of .579 (169-123) ranks 48th nationally out of over 300 schools.

NATIONAL ATTENTION
Forwards Shea Tripp and Taylor Thompson both appear in the top-50 of Division II in double-doubles, as Tripp ranks 19th with five and Thompson is at 35th with four.  Thompson is first in the GLIAC and 36th nationally in offensive rebounds per game (3.6) and 38th in total rebounds per game (9.3).  Tripp is 54th in assists per game (4.1).  As a squad, the Warriors are 43rd in free throws made per game (14.7) and 54th in assists per game at 15.3.

DOUBLE-DOUBLES FOR THOMPSON
Junior Forward Taylor Thompson captured her fourth double-double in the recent loss at Findlay.  Thompson finished the contest with 19 points and 17 rebounds.  Her 17 rebounds are the most in a double-double performance since February 24, 2022, when Sam Cherney totaled 17 rebounds along with 20 points.

TRIPP SURPASSES 1,000
Senior Forward Shea Tripp became the 20th player in program history to score 1,000 points in a career.  At the 9:10 mark in the third period at Findlay, Tripp saw her lay-up fall giving her 1,001 points.  She joins former teammate and 2024 graduate Becca Fugate as the two most recent to do so.

LAST GAMES RECAP
WSU split its final two games of 2024, prevailing against Cedarville 65-55, before falling at Findlay 59-56.  

The Warriors started hot scoring the first six points of the Cedarville contest as Shea Tripp and Taylor Thompson connected on back-to-back lay-ups followed by another Tripp bucket.  The next eight points belonged to CU, giving the Yellow Jackets their first lead of the game (8-6), before Annabel Ayrault splashed a corner three, putting the Green and Gold back on top 9-8.  A WSU free throw and Cedarville jumper tied the game at 10 points apiece after the first stanza.
The Warriors and Yellow Jackets had a very back-and-forth second quarter.  WSU entered halftime with a 28-22 lead after McKenna Ferguson scored seven of the final nine Wayne State points before intermission.

Cedarville scored four of the first six points of the third period, shortening the WSU lead to four (30-26).  Points became a premium, as Tripp scored the only bucket over the following two minutes.  Following a CU free throw, both teams found success in each of the ensuing five possessions with Gabi Lutchka, Alyssa Leister, and Tripp all scoring to put the Warriors ahead 39-32.  The squads combined for 25 points in the final 4:15 of the period as the Warriors held a 51-45 advantage after 30 minutes.

Cedarville pulled within four (53-49) with just over six minutes remaining, but WSU was able to close out the game, and earn the 65-55 victory.

WSU scored just seven points on 3-of-13 from the floor in the opening 10 minutes and trailed 13-7 after one period.

Ferguson got the scoring started in the second quarter, knocking down two triples around a Findlay lay-up (13-16).  A Thompson free throw preceded back-to-back long range jumpers from the Oilers, which extended the hosts lead to eight (22-14), but a 12-2 spurt for the Warriors to end the half with gave WSU a 26-24 advantage at intermission.

Leister, Tripp and Lutchka all scored to begin the third period, extending the WSU lead to nine (33-24).  The lay-up by Tripp pushed her past the 1,000 point mark, making her the 20th player in program history to do so.  WSU continued to roll for the remainder of the quarter, and entered the final 10 minutes with a 46-37 lead.

Wayne State was just 3-of-17 (17.6 percent) from the field in the final period, while Findlay made five field goals and 11 foul shots to defeat the Warriors 59-56.

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).