DETROIT – The Wayne State University women's basketball team (14-4 overall, 9-3 GLIAC) earned its seventh consecutive victory Saturday, winning 43-36 over visiting Davenport (7-12 overall, 5-7 GLIAC) at the Matthaei Center.

HOW IT HAPPENED
Both teams struggled to get momentum going offensively in the first quarter, with the Panthers earning the slight advantage – 7-6 after the first 10 minutes.  While sophomore Nastassja Chambers (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Arbor Prep) was able to connect on two free throws with 5:12 to play in the first, the Warriors were held without a field goal for the first 5:15.  Chambers hit a jumper to end the drought for the Warriors.

The Warriors took a 19-16 advantage into halftime thanks to outscoring the Panthers 13-9 in the second period.  WSU started the period on a 5-0 run that lasted all the way to the midway point of the frame and pushed Wayne State ahead 11-7.  With 5:14 to play in the stanza, Hannah Wilkerson ended the DU scoreless run with a three-pointer.  Up one at 11-10, junior India Hawkins (Detroit, Mich. / Edison Public School Academy) countered nearly a minute later with a triple of her own to move the score to 14-10. 

The two teams played a near-balanced game in the final 4:28 of the half, with DU outscoring WSU 6-5 in that stretch.

Wayne State seemingly took control of the game in the third quarter.  The Warriors began the second half on a 5-0 run, with a free throw from Ja'Nae Williams (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King) and layups from seniors Payton Birchmeier (Corunna, Mich.) and Shannon Wilson (West Bloomfield, Mich. / Bloomfield Hills).  DU scored the next four points, but Birchmeier drained a three-pointer to make it 27-20.  WSU got a stop on its next possession, which was followed by Chambers hitting a jumper with 3:44 left in the third stanza.  That pushed the Warrior lead to nine (29-20), the biggest lead for either team to that point.  Chambers hit another jumper with 2:14 left in the third, making it 31-20, but Jenna Falkenberg countered with a basket on the next possession.  The 31-22 score held through the final stages of the third period.

Davenport wasn't going away quietly, however.  The Panthers got a layup from Ashley Cline and a triple from Martyna Pioro, cutting the Warrior lead to 31-27 with 8:14 to play.  Meanwhile, WSU found itself in another scoreless drought.  Wayne State didn't score in the final 2:14 of the third period and then was held without a point for the first 5:39 of the fourth quarter.  DU eventually tied the game at 31-31 with a 9-0 run to start the final stanza.  It was the first time WSU didn't lead since the 2:32 mark of the second period when senior Sara Ruhstorfer (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Flint Powers Catholic) snapped a 14-14 deadlock with a triple.

Sophomore Alex Matus (Millbury, Ohio / Toledo Central Catholic) hit a triple with 4:20 remaining, giving WSU a 34-31 lead.   Davenport called timeout on the next possession, missed a jumper, and Birchmeier grabbed a rebound that led to a fast-break jumper by Chambers.  That bucket made it a two-possession game, 36-31, with 3:42 to play.  With scoring at a premium it proved to be a pivotal bucket down the stretch.

The visiting Panthers pulled within two at 36-34 with 2:39 on the clock, Neither team was able to score on each of its next two possessions before Chambers grabbed a rebound off her own missed and scored with 54.5 seconds left.  After DU misfired twice on its next trip down the court, Wilson was fouled and made both free throws to push the Warrior advantage to six (40-34) ith 22.8 seconds remaining.

TEAM STATS
Both teams struggled from the field offensively in the first 20 minutes, with Wayne State shooting just 22.6 percent (7-of-31) in the half and Davenport making 7-of-26 (26.9 percent).  By game's end, WSU was 15-of-57 (26.3 percent), while Davenport made 16 of its 59 tries (27.1 percent).  The two teams didn't find much consistency from beyond the arc; Wayne State shot 4-of-23 (17.4 percent), while Davenport shot 14.3 percent on 2-of-14.  DU won the rebound battle (48-42), but Wayne State had the advantage in steals (8-5).  Both teams had four blocks.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Chambers led all scorers with 13 points.  Birchmeier scored seven points with four rebounds and four blocks.  Williams had a game-high 17 rebounds.

LEADING THE PANTHERS
Pioro scored nine points off the DU bench, with Jenna Falkenberg contributing eight points and a team-best 11 rebounds.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will host #1-Ashland on Thursday. Tip-off is scheduled for 5:30 p.m.