Women's Basketball 11/12/2025 2:15:00 PM Henry Coyle, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Women's Hoops Travels to Malone and Ashland

GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University women's basketball team will remain on the road as the squad will travel to Malone University and Ashland University for a pair of non-conference games. WSU returns to the court after splitting its first two contests, falling 61-56 at No. 3-ranked Texas Woman's University and defeating the University of Alabama-Huntsville 83-76.

SERIES HISTORY
Wayne State holds an 8-3 overall ledger when playing the Pioneers, with the first meeting taking place 2011. When playing at Malone, the Green and Gold is 4-1. Last season, MU triumphed 67-60 at WSU.

The Eagles lead the all-time series 47-16, prevailing in each of the four games since leaving the GLIAC. A year ago, AU topped Wayne State 73-53 at the WSU Fieldhouse. When playing at Ashland, WSU is 6-26.

SCOUTING THE PIONEERS
For the second consecutive campaign, MU will open the year against WSU. Malone enters the 2025-26 season after compiling a 22-8 record a year ago, including a 15-5 ledger within the G-MAC. Last season, the Pioneers advanced to the conference tournament semifinal, before falling 54-51 to Hillsdale.

MU returns its top-scorer from a year ago, as Erin Kaufman is back for her senior season. Kaufman averaged 16.0 points, 8.2 rebounds, and 1.8 steals in 2024-25, while accumulating 50 steals and blocking 21 shots. The First Team All-Region selection tallied 17 points and eight boards against the Green and Gold last year.

Malone is led by Selana Ickes who is entering her eighth season at the helm. While serving as the program's head coach, Ickes has helped the Pioneers to a 118-80 overall record and was named the G-MAC Coach of the Year following the 2019-19 campaign.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Ashland will open the 2025-26 campaign hosting UIndy prior to its game vs. WSU. Last year, AU amassed a 32-4 record including a 19-1 mark in the G-MAC. Ashland advanced to the NCAA Midwest Regional Championship last season, falling 62-50 to eventual national champion Grand Valley State.

The top-returning scorer from a season ago is Lexi Howe. Howe averaged 7.6 points per game along with 1.8 rebounds and 1.8 assists each night. Ashley Mullet returns as well after scoring 6.9 points per game and dishing out 2.3 assists each contest.

Kari Pickens enters her eighth season at the helm for the Eagles, helping the team to a 205-21 record in her tenure, including a pair of flawless seasons (2019-20 & 2022-23), while capturing a national championship during the 2022-23 campaign.

FERGUSON COLLECTS ALL-TOURNAMENT ACCOLADES
Junior guard McKenna Ferguson was named to the D2 CCA Tip-Off Classic All-Tournament Team after tallying 23 points, five rebounds, and three steals in the loss at No. 3-TWU, along with 19 points and four steals in the win over UAH.

GORDON RETURNS TO THE FLOOR
After playing in 74 games for Central Michigan University across three years, Karrington Gordon redshirted a season ago. In her return to the court this past weekend, the graduate student tallied 24 points, 11 rebounds, and five assists in two games at the D2 CCA Tip-Off Classic

GLIAC PRESEASON POLL
1. Grand Valley State - 100 (10)
2. Northern Michigan - 87
3. Ferris State - 84 (1)
4. Parkside - 72
5. Wayne State - 66
6. Michigan Tech - 48
7. Saginaw Valley State - 46
8. Roosevelt - 43
9. Davenport - 25
10. Lake Superior State - 21
11. Purdue Northwest - 13

LAST GAMES RECAP
After falling behind 3-0 to No. 3-ranked Texas Woman's, the Warriors tallied nine of the next 11 points to claim an early 9-5 advantage before a nine-point TWU spurt put the Pioneers ahead 14-9 after one period.

Neither team would score the first 2:30 of the second stanza, before Gordon connected on a driving lay-up and made the free throw for an old-fashioned three-point play.

Following a jumper by Pioneer Morgan, Ayrault and Thompson each split a pair from the charity stripe, and Gordon tied the contest at 16-16 with a fast-break lay-up.

After a put-back by Tubergen knotted the game at 18-18, TWU tallied seven of the final nine points to lead 25-20 at the break.

Each team scored four points in the first 2:30 of the second half keeping the margin at five (29-24).

After four consecutive points for Texas Woman's, Ferguson connected from long distance on back-to-back possessions to cut the deficit to three (33-30). TWU's Kleinhans drained a triple, but Ferguson answered with a jumper. A steal and lay-up by Ferguson trimmed the margin to two (36-34) with just over 4:30 remaining in the period.

Back-to-back buckets by Pioneer Elliott pushed the hosts lead to six (40-34). WSU scored six of the final 10 points in the quarter and trailed 44-40 after 30 minutes.

Ferguson tallied the first five points in just over a 30-second span giving the Warriors a 45-44 advantage. Thompson extended the lead to three with a jumper. Ferguson responded to a three-point by TWU, with a jumper snapping a 47-47 deadlock.

After the Pioneers evened the score at 50-50, Gordon made a jumper in the paint with just under three minutes remaining. A foul on Gordon that was increased to a questionable flagrant foul as WSU's 52-50 advantage turned into a three-point possession and the lead for the hosts.

TWU's Lumsden connected from beyond the arc before Ferguson made two free throws cutting the margin to two (56-54) with 73 seconds left.

Two foul shots by Lumsden preceded a bucket by Boyke After Lumsden split a pair from the foul line, a WSU turnover on the inbounds pass led to two late free throws for the Pioneers.

After Alabama-Huntsville opened the scoring on tip-in lay-up, the Green and Gold tallied seven consecutive points to post a 7-2 lead with 7:25 left in the opening frame. Another short-range basket for UAH cut the WSU lead to three (7-4) before a Ferguson lay-in and a Thompson free throw pushed the margin to six (10-4) four minutes into the first. Back-to-back buckets for Alabama-Huntsville brought the Chargers within two, but WSU distanced itself with a pair of Ferguson free throws and a Lutchka made basket with 3:59 left to play. The Chargers and Warriors exchanged buckets to close the first period, with Wayne State leading 22-14 after the opening 10 minutes of action.

Thompson began the second stanza with an old-fashioned three-point play to push the Green and Gold lead to 25-14. The squads exchanged buckets and a pair of free throws with WSU leading 29-18. A 10-3 scoring spurt for Wayne State made the score 39-21 at the 2:56 mark in the second. The Warriors and Chargers exchanged two buckets each with Wayne State on top 43-25.

UAH closed the half with an 8-2 run that was capped off by a buzzer-beating triple by Brown to shorten the Green and Gold advantage to 12 (45-33).

UAH carried its momentum into the third, scoring the first eight points of the half. Ferguson knocked down back-to-back triples to put WSU on top by double figures once again (51-41). A Thompson lay-up sandwiched between a Chargers three pointer and lay-in made the score 53-46. Freshman Rickli scored her first career points by way of two free throws to extend the margin to nine. The teams went back-and-forth to end the third stanza, with Wayne State on top 62-57.

Thompson got things going in the final frame, connecting on two free-throw attempts before Maddox (UAH) made a jumper on the ensuing possession (64-59). Alabama-Huntsville was able to cut Wayne State's lead to four points twice, but WSU held off the Chargers to prevail 83-76.

FOLLOW THE WARRIORS
All Wayne State home contests and road GLIAC games will be televised on FloSports (flohoops.com).

For road GLIAC contests, Wayne State men's basketball play-by-play voice Kevin Brechmacher will provide audio for free through the Warrior Sports Network, while Tom Cavanaugh will be on the call for the Malone and Ashland contests. Click the audio button on the WSU women's basketball schedule page on wsuathletics.com.

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Players Mentioned

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

#13 Karrington Gordon: G/F; 5' 11"; Graduate Student

Players Mentioned

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

#13 Karrington Gordon
: 5' 11"; Graduate Student
: G/F

Players Mentioned

#21 McKenna Ferguson

#13 Karrington Gordon

Players Mentioned

#21 McKenna Ferguson

#13 Karrington Gordon