Boxscore

Ashland, Ohio -- The Wayne State University women's basketball team (22-8) advanced to the NCAA Division II Sweet Sixteen with a 70-60 triumph over Wisconsin-Parkside (21-10) Saturday evening at Ashland's Kates Gymnasium.

It was a back-and-forth contest featuring 17 lead changes, eight in the first half and nine after intermission.

The seventh-seeded Rangers took their final lead of the game, 60-58, with 3:55 remaining on a triple by Sierra West.  From there, the Warriors turned up the defensive pressure forcing UWP into four missed shots and two turnovers.  Senior forward Talisha Bridges (Kalamazoo, Mich./Loy Norrix) scored on a lay-up with 2:44 left to knot the game at 60.

Following another one shot possession for Parkside, Bridges scored from down low with 1:48 remaining giving the Warriors the lead for good.  UWP missed both field goal attempts on the ensuing trip down the court with senior forward Phaebre Colbert (Grand Rapids, Mich./Forest Hills northern) grabbing the defensive rebound.  She was rewarded at the offensive end with a baseline jumper pushing the lead to four (64-60) with 26.1 left.

After a missed triple try by Wisconsin-Parkside, senior center Juanita Cochran (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill) grabbed the defensive rebound and was immediately fouled with 12.4 remaining.  Cochran made both from the charity stripe in a one-and-one situation increasing the Wayne State lead to six (66-60).

Junior forward Imari Redfield (/Country Day) stole the inbound pass and was fouled with 8.9 seconds left.  She made both free throws in a double bonus situation making it a 68-60 contest.  Colbert stole the ball on Parkside's last possession and Redfield finished the game with a lay-up.

The first half had three ties in the first six minutes, with WSU holding three-point leads on three occassions.

A 7-0 run by Wayne State gave the Warriors their largest lead of the first 20 minutes (8, 27-19) with 8:02 left. 

UWP ended the first half on a 17-7 run to take a two-point advantage (36-34) at intermission.

Each team made 13 field goals in the first half but WSU had 11 more attempts based on 15 offensive rebounds to 11 defensive boards for the Rangers.

UWP scored first after halftime increasing its lead to four (38-34) prior to a 7-0 run by the Warriors.  Parkside had three three-point leads (44-41, 46-43, and 48-45).  Neither team had more than a three-point lead until Wayne State's final surge.

Cochran finished with game-high totals of 25 points (a season-high), 16 rebounds and three blocked shots.  Bridges added 19 points and a team-best four assist and three steals.  Redfield contributed 10 points off the bench.

The WSU defense limited UWP's top scorer, Jenna Endisch, to two points.  Tara Knapstein made four triples on her way to scoring a team-best 15 points for the Rangers.

UWP 18 miscues compared to nine turnovers for Wayne State.

The Warriors had a 38-22 advantage in points in the paint after shooting 50 percent (13-26) from the field in the final 20 minutes.

Wayne State will be playing the winner of tonight's second semifinal between Ashland (No. 2 ranked team in the country) and Michigan Tech.  The Warriors are one win shy of the school mark of 23 (23-5) set in 1980-81.