GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University women's basketball team returns home to host both Saginaw Valley State and Roosevelt to conclude the first half of the GLIAC slate after splitting its fourth consecutive GLIAC weekend.  WSU will compete against SVSU on Thursday at 5:30 PM and will face RU on Monday at 5:30 PM.  Ahead of the meeting with the Cardinals, the Warriors have won nine of their last 14 games.

SERIES HISTORY
The Warriors trail 39-45 in the all-time series with SVSU winning six of the last nine meetings.  When playing in Detroit, the Green and Gold have won five of the last six games, and are 22-18 overall.  The Cardinals prevailed in the last meeting (77-72), despite WSU holding a 36-34 lead after two quarters.

Wayne State will play Roosevelt for the first time, as the Lakers joined the GLIAC this past summer after being a member of the National Association of Intercollegiate Athletics (NAIA) and competing in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference (CCAC).

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Saginaw Valley State enters Thursday's contest with the Green and Gold at 9-7 overall, along with a 3-5 ledger in GLIAC play.  The Cardinals split their last two games, falling 84-46 at Michigan Tech, before defeating Northern Michigan 67-51 in Marquette.  

Sophomore forward Megan McCalla ranks second in scoring in the GLIAC and leads the way for SVSU, averaging 17.4 points per game while grabbing 4.7 rebounds each contest.  Lydia Meredith has a team-best 54 assists (3.4 per contest) and has nabbed 81 rebounds, which is second most.  Ava Locklear has hauled in 102 rebounds and blocked 21 shots, both of which are team-highs, with the 21 blocks being tied for the most in the GLIAC.  Aleshia Jones adds 14.3 points per game, 5.1 rebounds each night, and has 30 steals.

Jenny Pruett is in her sixth season as the head coach of the SVSU women's basketball team.  While at the helm, she has put together a 73-78 overall ledger, and a 49-48 mark in conference play.

Roosevelt own a 5-9 overall record, including a 3-5 mark against conference opponents.  The Lakers are 2-5 on the road.

Marie Outlay and Luka Malinka lead the way for the Lakers offensively, as Outlay is averaging 12.3 points per game with Malinka scoring 12.2 points each game.  Despite missing two contests, Malinka is the team's leader in three-pointers made connecting on 23 this season.   Outlay has a team-high 38 steals.

Jayla Turchin has a squad-best 94 rebounds (6.7 each night) and is Roosevelt's third-leading scorer (10.9 points per game).  Jalyssa Carrasco has dished out the most assists (51 total, 3.6 each game) and ranks fifth in the GLIAC in that category.

Third year head coach Deon Thomas has compiled a 33-37 record at Roosevelt, and has earned a 3-5 mark in the team's inaugural season as a member of the GLIAC.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Wayne State has played the ninth-toughest schedule in D2 (158-100, .612) and will play opponents that have a combined .516 winning percentage (96-90) over the final two months of the season.  The combined winning percentage of .572 (254-190) ranks 35th 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 the two are tied-for-34th with six apiece.  Thompson is top 50 nationally in offensive rebounds per game (28th with 3.8) and rebounds per game (44th with 9.1).  Her 3.8 offensive rebounds per game leads the GLIAC.  As a squad, the Warriors are 42nd in assists per game at 15.4 and 52nd in three throws made per game with 14.19, which leads the GLIAC.

Tripp is also 17th among active Division II players in steals with 208 and 35th in free throw percentage (.796).  Those 208 steals rank seventh in program history.

THOMPSON CRASHING THE BOARDS
In the win at Northern Michigan, Taylor Thompson contributed five rebounds and three steals.  Late in the second quarter, her rebound then jumper pulled the Warriors within two (22-20).  Early in the third period, Taylor's steal and assist led to a go-ahead triple (29-28).  With WSU trailing by seven (56-49) and just over four minutes remaining, Thompson scored Wayne State's next nine points to cut the deficit to two (60-58) leading to Jaci Tubergen's game-winning triple.  The junior totaled eight rebounds and five steals in the setback at Michigan Tech

VALUABLE MINUTES FROM FERGUSON
McKenna Ferguson led Wayne State offensively during its 1-1 U.P. road trip by making a team-best 11 field goals and scoring 28 points, while averaging 37.0 minutes per game.

Ferguson tallied a game-high 17 points in the win at Northern Michigan on 7-of-13 shooting, while also grabbing a game-best nine rebounds.  At Michigan Tech, the sophomore tallied 11 points and nabbed four rebounds.

LAST GAMES RECAP
WSU split its two games last week, winning 61-60 at Northern Michigan, before falling 76-67 at Michigan Tech.

Wayne State and Northern Michigan went back-and-forth for the majority of the contest, before an eight-point scoring spurt gave the Wildcats their largest lead of the night (48-40).  A pair of free throws from McKenna Ferguson and an NMU lay-up kept the lead at eight, before Alyssa Leister connected on a lay-up as time expired in the third quarter the cut the Northern Michigan lead to six (50-44).  Down two points with 17 seconds left, Jaci Tubergen found herself open behind the line, and splashed a triple to give WSU its first lead since midway through the third period (37-35).  The Warriors held Northern Michigan scoreless for the final three minutes of the game.

McKenna Ferguson (17), Taylor Thompson (12), and Gabi Lutchka (10) all scored in double figures, with Ferguson leading the way on the boards, hauling in nine rebounds.  Shea Tripp added nine points, while dishing out a team-high four assists.

Despite having more shot attempts, more three-pointers, more steals, and less turnovers, the Warriors were unable to match the offensive efficiency of Michigan Tech and dropped a 76-67 decision in Houghton.  The Huskies made 50 percent of their shots (29-of-58), while the Green and Gold only connected on 38.5 percent (25-of-65).  MTU won the rebounding battle as well, hauling in 40 to WSU's 34.   Taylor Thompson (15), Shea Tripp (13), Gabi Lutchka (11), and McKenna Ferguson (11) all reached double-digit points with Tripp having a team-high nine rebounds, and Thompson garnering five steals.

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.

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).