DETROIT -- The Wayne State University men's basketball team (12-12 overall, 8-8 GLIAC) is set for its final two road games of the 2024-25 regular season.  The Warriors will be at rival Grand Valley State on Thursday night before seeing Davenport two days later.

STORYLINES
Wayne State's (12-12, 8-8) roller coaster of a season continued last week as it won 81-69 at Saginaw Valley State on Thursday night before falling 90-83 at Roosevelt on Monday evening.  The Warriors were victorious for the eighth time on a Thursday this season (8-1), but hold a record of just 4-11 when playing on any other day of the week.

Grand Valley State (13-11, 9-7) has a one-game lead on Wayne State for sixth in this week's GLIAC standings. Most recently, the Lakers lost 80-72 at Parkside, which snapped a three-game winning streak for GVSU.  Those three triumphs included a 71-68 victory against ninth-ranked Lake Superior State and a 94-62 blowout win over No. 16 Ferris State two days later, both in Allendale.

Davenport (5-19, 1-15) has begun to turn its attention to the offseason as it sits in last place for the 11-team league.  The Panthers have been on the wrong end of the scoreboard in 12 straight and 13 of the last 14, that one win coming against Michigan Tech, 73-71, in Grand Rapids on Jan. 4.

THE SERIES
Grand Valley State has won 18 more games than Wayne State in the all-time series (56-38) and has defeated the Warriors seven times in the last 10 meetings.  WSU is 2-2 in the last four contests in Allendale.

Wayne State and Davenport have met 15 times in the all-time ledger with the Warriors out in front 8-7.  WSU has won four of the last five overall against DU, but the Panthers are 4-2 when hosting the Green & Gold.

SCOUTING THE LAKERS
Grand Valley State continues to excel in three facets, bench points per game (17th in DII, 33.3), field goal percentage defense (.411, 18th) and fewest turnovers per contest (10.8, 33rd).  The first player to be thanked for the third in that trio is Mason Docks, who is second in the GLIAC and 24th nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (2.83-to-1), while ranking fourth in the league for assists per game (3.4).  Docks runs the show and accounts for 8.5 points per outing, just outside the team's top three regulars.  Those are Kaden Brown (13.9 PPG), William Dunn (11.3) and Jalen Charity (11.0).  Dunn paces the Lakers in rebounds per game (6.0) and is one of just two players to start all 24 of their games (Charity).  Defensively, Trevor Smith, Jr. is on top of steals (29) and Shamus Thompson leads in blocks (26).

SCOUTING THE PANTHERS
Davenport boasts the conference's top rebounder in Matyas Vrabel (7.3 per game) to go with his 10.6 points per contest.  That output is one of three in double figures along with Jovan Tucker (14.5) and Joey Cabana (10.8).  Dylan Smith is just shy of that trio with 9.8 per outing.  Tucker is also on top for assists (2.1 APG) and steals (26), while Smith has stuffed 15 field goal attempts.

LAST TIME OUT - AT ROOSEVELT - FEB. 17
Among the first half's six deadlocks and seven lead changes, the biggest advantage enjoyed by both teams was five.  That included 7-2 and 9-4 in favor of Roosevelt,  while Wayne State's came at 29-24.  That sixth tie (36-36)followed the teams into their locker rooms.

In the first 20 minutes, the Warriors out-shot the Lakers 48.4 percent (15-of-31) to 43.3 percent (13-of-30).  WSU cashed 4-of-12 from behind the arc and 2-of-4 at the free throw line, while RU was 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) and 5-of-9 (55.6 percent), respectively.

Roosevelt had nine assists to just two turnovers, while Wayne State accounted for 11 dimes and six giveaways.

The beginning of the second half saw much of the same back-and-forth play.  Through the first three-plus minutes came two more ties, two additional lead changes and the scoreboard read 44-44.

Rob Lee, Jr. then converted an old fashioned three-point play, followed by a Carlos Paul III jumper that put Wayne State up five for the second time at 49-44.

Following two more deadlocks at 49-49 and 55-55, Roosevelt regained the advantage 56-55 thanks to a pair of made free throws by Forte Prater.

The see-saw battle continued before the Warriors were able to separate themselves by five again at 71-66.  WSU made it to that point by utilizing a mini 12-5 run over the course of nearly three minutes.  In that span, Lee, Jr. registered eight points, while both Kelvin Tamakloe and Jordan Briggs chipped in two apiece.

The ledger evened up twice more (71-71, 73-73) before a Paul III tip-in gave WSU a lead (75-73) for the final time at the 3:30 mark.  However, from there until the final buzzer, RU scored 17 points to its visitors eight.  In that span, the Lakers were 4-of-6 from the field, 2-of-2 from deep and 7-of-8 at the charity stripe without a single turnover.

Roosevelt shot an even 50 percent (29-of-58) to Wayne State's 47 percent (31-of-66), including 48.1 percent (13-of-27) from long range to 40 percent (8-of-20).  The home team also made six more free throws, 19-of-25 to 13-of-20.  Both squads racked up 19 assists, but the Warriors had 11 turnovers to the Lakers seven.  WSU had the upper hand in bench scoring (18-8) and points in the paint (40-26), but RU controlled scoring off turnovers (19-8) and fast-break points (15-8).

Three Warriors scored in double figures including Harris (21), Lee, Jr. (20) and Paul III (13).  Ray Williams, Jr. brought down eight rebounds and Tamario Adley dished out seven assists.  Defensively, Adley and Harris each notched a block, while Adley tallied four steals.

FREE THROW PHENOMS
Wayne State junior Carmelo Harris continues to make free throws with a historic efficiency.  This season, Harris ranks second in the GLIAC and 57th nationally in free throw percentage at 85.9 percent (61-of-71).  Career wise, the Flint native is shooting 87.4 percent (173-of-198), which is first in program history (minimum 70 made) and 15th among all active Division II players.  Not to be forgotten though is his high school teammate Rob Lee, Jr., who is seventh in the league for free throw percentage at 79.8 percent (75-of-94).

"THE MAESTRO"
Redshirt senior Ray Williams, Jr. continues to ascend the program's career record book top 50 in several categories.  Thanks to 38 minutes on the court against Michigan Tech on Feb. 5, Williams became the school's all-time leader in that category, a total that now stands at 3,575 minutes played.  Entering this week, Williams is second in both games started (110) and games played (119), sixth in total rebounds (715, 19th among active players in D2), 23rd in three-pointers made (81), tied-for-27th in steals (85), tied-for-29th in field goals made (361), tied-for-33rd in points scored (922), tied for-40th in blocked shots (28), and 47th in rebounds per game (6.0).  The Detroit native is one of four players in program history to start at least 100 games along with Raheem Muhammad (111, 1982-86), Tony Goins (102, 1995-99) and Marcus Moore (100, 2014-18).  Williams needs to start just two more games to become Wayne State's all-time leader in games played and started.  Scott Armstrong is currently first with 120 games played (1990-94).