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Wayne State University Athletics

Gabi Lutchka vs. Cedarville 2024
Sarah Lohr
Gabi Lutchka notched a double-double with game-high totals of 18 points and 10 rebounds.
77
Winner Wayne St. (MI) Wayne 4-3,1-0 GLIAC
56
Purdue Northwest Pur-NW 1-6,0-1 GLIAC
Winner
Wayne St. (MI) Wayne
4-3,1-0 GLIAC
77
Final
56
Purdue Northwest Pur-NW
1-6,0-1 GLIAC
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Wayne St. (MI) Wayne 25 16 19 17 77
Purdue Northwest Pur-NW 11 16 16 13 56

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Jeff Weiss, Senior Associate Director of Athletics/Media Relations

Women's Basketball Wins GLIAC Opener Wire-To-Wire

HAMMOND, Ind. -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (4-3 overall, 1-0 GLIAC) led from start to finish in posting a 77-56 road victory at Purdue Northwest (1-6 overall, 0-1 GLIAC) in the GLIAC opener in the conference.  The remaining nine schools begin league play on Thursday.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
Junior guard Annabel Ayrault (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich. / Grosse Pointe North), making her second start of the season, began the scoring with a triple just 79 seconds into the contest.  After a Pride turnover, senior forward Taylor Thompson (Grand Blanc, Mich.) scored on a lay-up and a minute later junior guard McKenna Ferguson (Grandville, Mich. / Byron Center) made a bucket on a fast break.  Senior forward Gabi Lutchka (Grass Lake, Mich.) concluded the 10-0 run to start the game by connecting from long range after a steal and dish from senior guard Jaci Tubergen (Hudsonville, Mich. [Bowling Green]).

Following two foul shots by PNW, senior forward Mackenzie Miller (Schoolcraft, Mich. [Lakeland University]) and sophomore guard Koko Sylvester (Toledo, Ohio / Start) each scored to make it 14-2.  Lutchka drained another three pointer and made a jumper to increase the advantage to 15 (19-4) with just over three minutes remaining in the opening stanza.

Purdue Northwest had a 7-6 scoring edge to end the first 10 minutes, but the Warriors still led 25-11.

Second Quarter
Tubergen started the second period scoring with a triple following a steal by Ayrault.  Just over 30 seconds later, Ferguson connected from downtown to make it 31-11.  The three-point bonanza continued with Ayrault draining a shot from beyond the arc.

WSU's led ranged from 13 to 23 points over the next seven-plus minutes, until Thompson converted an old-fashioned three-point play.  The Pride's Zoe Spellman concluded the first half scoring with a pair of foul shots cutting the Wayne State margin to 14 (41-27) after 20 minutes.

Third Quarter
Purdue Northwest's Cameryn Phillips sandwiched a jumper and a triple around a lay-up from Ayrault to cut the hosts deficit to 11 (43-32).  Ferguson started another Warrior scoring spurt tallying the next five points (two free throws and a triple) before Lutchka answered a PNW three pointer with one of her own.

Keeping with the long range shots theme, Ayrault responded to Phillips triple with one.  The Pride's Alyssa Cole connected from beyond the arc and Phillips scored on a lay-up to trim Wayne State's advantage to 11 (54-43) with 4:13 left in the third period.

Lay-ups by Ferguson, graduate student Karrington Gordon (Lincoln Park, Mich. [Central Michigan]) and Miller increased the lead to 17 (60-43) through three quarters.

Fourth Quarter
After PNW's Aniyah Bishop split a pair from the charity stripe, Lutchka and junior Emily Homan (Haslett, Mich.) each drained triples about 40 seconds apart for a 22-point advantage (66-44).

The Warrior scoring onslaught continued with buckets by Lutchka, Miller and Gordon as Purdue Northwest did not make a field goal in the final stanza until 2:05 remained in the game.  The Pride went 0-for-8 from the field with four turnovers during the drought, but were 9-of-11 at the charity stripe.

TEAM STATS
Wayne State shot 42 percent (28-of-66) from the floor, compared to PNW's 33 percent (17-of-51).  WSU made 12 triples in 28 attempts (43 percent), while the Pride were 7-of-25 (28 percent) from long distance.  The Warriors were 9-of-10 (90 percent) at the foul line with Purdue Northwest making 15-of-18 (83 percent).  Wayne State had a decisive 47-28 edge in rebounding, including a 16-6 advantage in offensive rebounds.  WSU tallied 23 points off 19 turnovers by the Pride.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Lutchka had a double-double for the second straight game with game-high totals of 18 points and 10 rebounds, along with three steals and three assists.  Ferguson contributed 12 points and three steals, while Ayrault chipped in with 11 points and a career-best six rebounds.  Tubergen dished out a team-high and career-best four helpers.

LEADING THE PRIDE
Phillips scored a team-best 15 points on a trio of three pointers, while Riley Milausnic also connected on three triples in totaling 12 points.  Cole registered eight points and a team-high eight rebounds.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will conclude the opening week of GLIAC play with a 1 pm home contest on Saturday vs. Ferris State at the WSU Fieldhouse.
 
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