GAME STORYLINES
The Wayne State University women's hoops squad returns to conference action after topping the University of Findlay 66-58 in the team's final game of 2025.  WSU will begin 2026 on the road, traveling to Saginaw Valley State University on Friday, January 2, before heading to Lake Superior State University on Sunday, January 4.

SERIES HISTORY
WSU has competed against Saginaw Valley State 86 times, prevailing in 41 of the outings.  The Warriors triumphed in both meetings a year ago (71-67 at home, and 71-68 at SVSU), and are 18-26 when playing on the road.

In last year's road victory, Shea Tripp (20 points), Gabi Lutchka (15), and McKenna Ferguson (14) led the offensive efforts.  Ferguson had a team-best seven rebounds, along with three assists.  The Warriors made 51 percent of their shot attempts (24-of-47), including nine long-range jumpers.

When playing Lake Superior State, Wayne State leads 47-42, including winning the last four meetings, and 11 of the most recent 12.  When visiting LSSU, the Warriors are 16-25 after winning four of the last seven in the Soo.

In the last meeting in Sault Ste. Marie, WSU claimed a 75-48 triumph with Taylor Thompson notching a double-double with 16 points and a game-best 13 rebounds.  Shea Tripp totaled 21 points, five assists and four steals.

SCOUTING THE CARDINALS
SVSU is 3-7 overall, including 1-1 in the GLIAC, with wins over Drury, Davenport, and Walsh.  The Cardinals are coming off a 70-58 loss against Hillsdale.  When playing at home, Saginaw Valley State is 2-3.

Megan McCalla is the team's leading scorer, averaging 15 points per game.  The 2024-25 D2CCA Second Team All-Region honoree is hauling in 5.4 rebounds each game as well.  Lydia Meredith is contributing 13.7 PPG, a team-high 6.8 boards, a squad-best 4.7 steals, and 3.1 assists per game.  Lainey Yater is the team's assist leader with 32.

Jenny Pruett is in her seventh year leading the Cardinals, helping the squad to an 82-92 mark.  Prior to her tenure with SVSU, Pruett was an assistant coach at St. Bonaventure for three campaigns.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS
The Lakers hold a 3-7 overall ledger that includes an 0-2 record against GLIAC foes.  LSSU has won each of its last three games, and is eyeing a fourth straight in the contest against Purdue Northwest on Friday prior to the meeting with Wayne State.

Grace Bradford is averaging a double-double at 14.8 points and 12.0 rebounds per contest, along with a team-best 23 assists.  Dara Capaldi is scoring 10.5 points per game, and is the team leader with 15 steals.  Clare Conzelmann has made a squad-high 18 triples, while Seyyane Matthew has 11 blocked shots.

Grace Howrigon has compiled an 8-30 record in her second season leading the Lakers after five years at Lawrence Tech.

LOHR REACHES 400
Wayne State head coach Carrie Lohr earned her 400th collegiate head coaching victory with WSU's 78-66 win at Tiffin on December 9.  This includes nine years at St. Clair County Community College (SC4) and 15 seasons with the Warriors.

She became Wayne State's winningest coach (win #127) after a 76-67 triumph at Purdue Northwest on January 10, 2019.

STACKING DOUBLE-DOUBLES
After not posting a double-double in the first five contests, WSU has tallied four in the last five countable outings.

Gabi Lutchka had the first two of the season in back-to-back games at Northwood (10 points, 12 rebounds) and Purdue Northwest (18 points, 10 rebounds).

Taylor Thompson notched the third in the squad's win at Tiffin, with 26 points and 13 rebounds, both of which were game highs.  The senior then notched 13 points and a season-high 16 rebounds during the 66-58 win over Findlay.

STRENGTH OF SCHEDULE
The Warriors' strength of schedule (SOS) is .651 (69-37), which ranks eighth nationally out of 298 schools. This includes a 2-2 mark against ranked teams/receiving votes - loss to #3-Texas Woman's and now #16 Malone, along with victories over No. 6 Ashland and No. 18 Ferris State.

FERGUSON LEADING THE CHARGE
Guard McKenna Ferguson tallied 32 points (10-of-12 FG, 4-of-6 3PT, 8-of-9 FT) in the 84-71 home win over No. 18-ranked Ferris State on Dec. 6.  The junior added a game-best four steals, along with three assists and a trio of rebounds.  While on the floor, Ferguson was +28 and drew seven fouls.  She has reached double-figure scoring in nine of the team's 10 games this year, including scoring 20 or more on three occasions.

IMPACT FROM LUTCHKA
After not reaching double digits in the first three games of the season, senior forward Gabi Lutchka has scored 10 or more points in seven consecutive games, including a pair of double-doubles at Northwood and Purdue Northwest, along with a season-best 20-point performance in the team's 84-71 win over No. 18-ranked Ferris State.  Lutchka tallied 14 points and eight boards in the 78-66 win at Tiffin, and matched her season-best scoring output (20 points) in the win over Findlay.

INCREASED PRODUCTION
Senior guard Jaci Tubergen has started nine of the 10 games this season after being utilized in a reserve role a year ago.  The Hudsonville, Mich., product has increased her scoring from 1.5 points per contest last season to 7.1 per game this year, while already passing her total number of triples made (six) in 2024-25, with 11 this year, and dishing out more assists, with 24 so far.

After playing in 14 games as a freshman and 17 as a sophomore, Emily Homan has seen an uptick in action during her junior campaign.  The Haslett, Mich., native is playing 13.8 minutes per game, while passing her rebound total from a year ago with 18 thus far, and has surpassed her total number of points from last year as well, scoring 33 through the first nine games.

Both produced career-high scoring performances in the 66-58 win over Findlay, as Tubergen tallied 13 points, while Homan notched 11, including the game-sealing triple.

STATISTICALLY SPEAKING
The Green and Gold ranks first in the GLIAC in free throw attempts (21.7 per game) and third in three-point percentage (34.7 percent).  WSU's three-point percentage is 37th nationally, while the assist/turnover ratio is 39th.

McKenna Ferguson is 15th in the nation in three-point percentage (45.3 percent), 19th in steals (35) and eighth in steals per game (3.50), while ranking second in the GLIAC in points per game (17.1).  She is second in the league in total points (162).

LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors faced an early deficit against Findlay, as the Oilers posted the first 14 points of the game and 22 of the first 29.  

WSU closed the gap to 10 points (22-12) after McKenna Ferguson connected on a pair of free throws and Gabi Lutchka splashed a triple.

A Jaci Tubergen three pointer pulled Wayne State within seven points (22-15), but the Oilers tallied four straight points to push the advantage to 11 (26-15).  Tubergen found the bottom of the net once more, before a UF jumper and triple made it 31-17 with 5:04 left in the second quarter.

The WSU offense found its stride in the latter half of the second quarter, erupting for a 16-0 run to hold a 33-31 lead heading into the halftime break.

WSU continued its offensive spurt, tallying the first two points after intermission.  UF responded with five points before a Taylor Thompson bucket and a Tubergen long-range jumper pushed WSU's advantage to four points (40-36), but a Lauryn Auchmuty three and a pair of baskets from MacKenzie Schulz gave the visitors a 43-40 advantage with 3:43 left in the third quarter.  Lutchka and Ferguson each connected on lay-ups to regain the lead for Wayne State.  The Green and Gold closed the third with a 6-2 run, and entered the final quarter with a 50-45 lead.

UF pulled within 58-55, but a triple by Emily Homan with 65 seconds remaining sealed the victory, along with five made free throws in the final 27 seconds.

FOLLOW THE WARRIORS
All Wayne State home contests and road GLIAC games will be streamed 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.  Click the audio button on the WSU women's basketball schedule page on wsuathletics.com.

Brechmacher will call Friday and Sunday's contests from Saginaw Valley State and Lake Superior State, respectively.