Women's Basketball 1/8/2025 10:30:00 AM Henry Coyle, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Women's Basketball Returns Home to Host Parkside and Purdue Northwest

GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University women's basketball squad returns home after a two-game road trip to host Parkside and Purdue Northwest. The contest against the Rangers will be on Thursday, January 9 (5:30 p.m.), with the PNW game on Saturday (1 p.m.). The match-ups will be the first two at home in 2025 for the Green and Gold.

SERIES HISTORY
Wayne State is 9-9 against UWP, and 5-5 when playing in Detroit. In the most recent meeting, WSU won 66-61 on the road to end a three-game losing streak. The Green and Gold have lost three of the last four meetings at the WSU Fieldhouse. Eight of the last nine games have been decided by nine points or less.

The Warriors hold a 13-1 record all-time vs. Purdue Northwest, including a 6-0 mark at home. Wayne State has won the last six meetings overall against the Pride.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Parkside enters Thursday's contest at 8-3 overall and with a three-game winning streak. The Rangers are 3-1 in GLIAC play with the team's only blemish being a five-point loss at Northern Michigan. UWP has stayed consistent the entire year with its lineup, as the same five players have started each of the team's 11 contests.

Cassidy Arni is the leading scorer for Parkside averaging 14.5 points per game, while grabbing 6.8 rebounds per contest. Sheridan Flaugler has team-best totals of 46 assists and 17 steals, and is leading the GLIAC in assists per game at 4.2. She has also connected on a team-high 19 triples.

Jen Conely is in her seventh season as the head coach of the Rangers and has garnered a 96-69 overall record, and is 69-50 when playing GLIAC opponents.

Ahead of its Thursday contest at Saginaw Valley State, the Purdue Northwest women's basketball team has compiled a 3-9 overall record, with an 0-4 mark against the GLIAC. The Pride started their season 2-0, but have gone 1-9 since.

Alyssa Cole and Akyia Baker are both averaging a team-best 11.3 points per contest, with Cole leading the way on the glass, hauling in 6.5 rebounds each night. Nessa Walsh is third in the GLIAC in assists per game at 3.7, with 44 helpers this year.

Head coach Jesse Ford is in his first year at the helm, and has compiled a 3-9 overall record. Before joining the Pride, Ford served as the head coach of the Indiana University Northwest women's basketball team, where he collected 60 wins in three years.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
Wayne State has played the 12th-toughest schedule in D2 (98-54, .645) and will play opponents that have a combined .521 winning percentage (99-91) over the final two months of the season. The combined winning percentage of .576 (195-142) ranks 45th 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 Thompson ranks 14th with six and Tripp is at 26th with five. Thompson is top-50 nationally in rebounds per game (28th with 9.7), offensive rebounds per game (30th with 3.7), and in total rebounds (46th with 116). Her 3.7 offensive rebounds per game leads the GLIAC as well. Tripp is 49th in steals per game (2.58). As a squad, the Warriors are 29th in assists per game at 16.4.

Tripp is also 20th among active Division II players in steals with 201. Those 201 steals rank 10th in school history, and Shea is just three shy of moving to seventh place on the WSU charts.

FERGUSON FINDING THE BASKET
Sophomore guard McKenna Ferguson has scored in double-digits in seven of the last 10 games. Over that stretch, she is averaging 12.6 points per contest, and is shooting 44 percent from the floor, including 41 percent from beyond the arc. In games that Ferguson reaches double figures, the Warriors are 5-2.

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
Wayne State split its two most recent games on the road. The Warriors won 75-48 at Lake Superior State, but fell 82-65 at #30-Ferris State.

Lake Superior State began the game's scoring, as Breah Golden knocked down a floater. A McKenna Ferguson bucket put the Green and Gold on the board, before LSSU's CeCe Hacker splashed a three to reclaim its early lead (5-2). Shea Tripp was able to draw contact while driving on a lay-up, knocking down the shot and earning a trip to the foul line for an attempt at a three-point play. Tripp connected on her free throw, tying the contest at five points apiece.

Wayne State took its first lead of the game, as Ferguson found her way to the rim for a lay-up. WSU closed the quarter with a 15-6 scoring run and a 22-11 advantage after 10 minutes.

A quick LSSU three-pointer cut the Wayne State lead to single digits (22-14), before five points from Ferguson and two by Thompson pushed the lead to 15 (29-14) with just under eight minutes remaining in the period. The Green and Gold finished the quarter on a 16-4 run.

The two squads exchanged a pair of baskets to open the third stanza with WSU holding a 50-24 advantage. Despite a fast start, both teams combined for 18 points over the final 7:36 of the period (10 for Lake Superior State and eight for Wayne State).

The Warriors scored 17 more points in the final period to secure the win.

At #30-Ferris State, WSU was able to match the scoring of the Bulldogs early on and were tied at 10 points apiece, before an 11-4 FSU scoring onslaught put the Green and Gold behind 21-14 after the first quarter.

After a pair of Ferris State free throws to begin the second period, WSU saw a short 8-3 run to pull within five. FSU closed the first half with 13 points to just eight from Wayne State (40-30).

The Green and Gold cut the lead to four (49-45) following an Ally Shagena lay-up, but would allow a 14-2 run to close the stanza to trail 63-47. WSU shot 28 percent (5-of-18) in the final quarter to fall 82-65.

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).

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Players Mentioned

#4 Becca Fugate: G; 5' 7"; Redshirt Senior

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

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

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

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

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

Players Mentioned

#4 Becca Fugate
: 5' 7"; Redshirt Senior
: G

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

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

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

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

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