Box Score

Box Score (HTML)  |  Photo Gallery  |  Video Highlights

DETROIT -- In a battle of the top two teams in the GLIAC North Division Thursday, the Wayne State University women's basketball team emerged victorious, defeating Michigan Tech University 74-63 at the Matthaei.

The Warriors ended Michigan Tech's 11-game win streak and handed the Huskies their first GLIAC loss of the season. The two teams are tied at 10-1 for the best record in the GLIAC at the midway point of the conference season. WSU, ranked No. 21 in the most recent Coaches Poll, improved to 13-2 overall, while MTU fell to 12-3.

The contest was back-and-forth the entire first half, with neither team gaining more than a four-point advantage until halftime. The lead changed seven times and the game was tied five times in the first half alone. The Warriors trailed 25-23 with 6:05 remaining in the first half, but used a 7-4 run to finish the half.

Sophomore Destiny Lavita-Stephens (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Goodrich) hit a three-pointer to give WSU a 26-25 lead and after a free throw by MTU's Danielle Blake, sophomore Brittany Streetman (Warren, Mich. / Lincoln) also connected on a triple to give Wayne State a 29-26 edge. Streetman made 1-of-2 free throws with 1:43 remaining in the opening half to give WSU a four-point advantage, 30-26, but Blake converted on a three-point play with 1:16 left.

WSU had a 30-29 lead. Senior Imari Redfield (Detroit, Mich. / Country Day), scored seven first-half points, while junior Ondrea Hughes (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Loy Norrix) and junior Kayla Bridges (Canton, Mich. / Canton) each had six points in the first half. Blake had 18 points in the first half for the Huskies.

Junior Shareta Brown (Pontiac, Mich. / Grand Blanc) opened the second half with a lay-up and after two MTU free throws, junior Jackie Jones (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King) also connected on a lay-up for WSU. Lavita-Stephens drained her second triple of the game as Wayne State opened a six-point lead, 37-31, just under two minutes into the half.

Michigan Tech chipped away at the deficit and gained a 48-46 lead on a three-pointer by Paige Albi with 13:15 remaining in the game. Redfield scored the next six points for the Warriors, but Michigan Tech held a 55-52 lead with 9:17 left. Both teams went cold offensively for the next three minutes, before Brown scored on a lay-up and Lavita-Stephens sank a three-pointer on back-to-back possessions to give the Warriors a 57-55 advantage with 5:38 left in the game.

Redfield and Brown completed an 11-0 WSU run as they converted on back-to-back conventional three-point plays to give the Warriors a 63-55 lead with 3:59 remaining. Michigan Tech countered with a free throw, but Redfield made her only three-point attempt from the top of the arc to give WSU a 10-point advantage, 66-56, with 3:23 left.

The Huskies pulled to within five points with 50 seconds left, 68-63, but the Warriors made all six free throws in the final 45 seconds. Senior Lena Thomas (Bloomfield Twp., Mich. / Bloomfield Hills Andover) was 4-for-4 in the final minute, while Jones also sank both of her shots from the foul line to help seal the win.

Brown and Redfield each notched double-doubles for the Warriors. After posting her first career double-double in WSU's last game at Saginaw Valley State, Redfield collected her second straight, tallying a team-high 21 points and 11 rebounds. Brown had 16 points and 12 rebounds.

Bridges totaled eight points and eight boards off the bench, while Lavita-Stephens was 3-for-3 from beyond the arc for nine points. Jones matched a season-high with eight assists against just one turnover.

Wayne State out-rebounded Michigan Tech, 52-38, and made 5-of-11 three-point attempts. The Huskies were 3-of-19 from three-point range. WSU was 41.5 percent from the field overall, while limiting MTU to 33.8 shooting.

Blake finished with a game-high 24 points for Michigan Tech, while Albi added 10 points off the bench.

Wayne State returns to the court Saturday for a matchup with Northern Michigan in Detroit. Tip-off is set for 1 p.m. at the Matthaei.