Women's Basketball 2/7/2019 10:55:00 AM Lauren Bryne, Sports Information Graduate Intern

Women's Hoops to Travel North for Next Two GLIAC Contests

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad will travel to Lake Superior State on Thursday for a 5:30 p.m. contest, followed by a 1:00 p.m. game at Ferris State on Saturday.

STORYLINES
Wayne State will travel to Lake Superior State on Thursday (5:30 p.m.) and Ferris State on Saturday (1:00 p.m.) to continue league play. The Warriors concluded their five-game home stand last weekend, falling to 15th-ranked Grand Valley State on Friday and notching a victory over Davenport on Saturday.

THE SERIES
WSU trails 36-39 in the all-time series against Lake Superior State. The Green and Gold have won 13 of the previous 14 contests, dating back to February 6, 2010. Earlier this season, Wayne State won 73-59 in Detroit. The Warriors have a 13-22 record in Sault Ste. Marie vs. the Lakers.

The Warriors are 32-39 in the all-time series versus FSU, winning only one of the previous five games. WSU fell 68-51 against the Bulldogs in the previous meeting on November 28, 2018. Wayne State has a 13-23 mark in games at Ferris State.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
LSSU has an overall record of 6-14 and a 1-12 mark in the GLIAC. The Lakers fell 71-41 at Northwood on Jan. 31, followed by a 66-52 loss at Saginaw Valley State two days later.

Junior forward Lexie Khon leads Lake Superior State in scoring (13.3 PPG) and rebounding (5.4 RPG). Redshirt freshman guard Sadie DeWildt is the leader in assists (3.3 APG) and steals (1.1 SPG) for LSSU.

FSU is 11-8 overall and 8-5 in league contests. The Bulldogs split their two previous games, winning 60-56 at Saginaw Valley State and losing 73-60 at Northwood. Ferris State will play the No. 11 Ashland Eagles on Thursday before hosting the Warriors.

Senior guard Alexis Bush leads FSU in scoring, averaging 12.5 points per contest. Sophomore guard Adrienne Anderson scores 11.0 points per game, while leading the squad in steals (2.3 SPG). Junior center Brayene Benner grabs 7.3 boards per contest, while ranking third in the GLIAC with a total of 44 blocked shots.

LAST TIME OUT
The Green and Gold notched a 79-59 victory over Davenport on Saturday, Feb. 2. Senior forward Paige Villemure led the squad with 16 points, while junior guard Lyndsey Matus drained 5-of-7 from beyond the arc in her first collegiate start. Senior guard Ja'Nae Williams snagged a game-best nine rebounds. The Warriors shot 42 percent (27-of-65) from the floor, while making 36 percent (10-of-28) of three-point attempts. WSU had a 42-40 edge in rebounds, while also leading 56-7 in bench points and 11-0 in fast-break points.

REACHING NEW HIGHS
Three Warriors tallied career-best point totals against the Panthers, including junior guard Lyndsey Matus (15), senior forward Paige Villemure (16), and sophomore guard Anna Ruhstorfer (6). Villemure also grabbed a career-high seven boards, while freshman guard Kate Sherwood blocked a career-best two shots.

Additionally, five players surpassed season-high statistics. Lyndsey Matus (19 minutes) and redshirt senior guard Daejia Hill (11 minutes) recorded new season-best playing times. Senior forward Jessica Murphy scored a season-high six points, including two triples, while sophomore forward Tori Perez dished out a season-best three assists. Ruhstorfer tallied season-highs in rebounds (2), assists (1), steals (1) and minutes (7) vs. DU.

NATIONAL AND LEAGUE RANKINGS
Senior guard Ja'Nae Williams is currently third in the conference and 41st in the nation with 51 steals. Williams is also fourth in the GLIAC and 67th in the country with 6.7 defensive rebounds per game. Junior guard Alex Matus is tied-for-third in the league with 41 made triples, while freshman forward Sam Cherney is third in the GLIAC, recording 2.9 offensive rebounds per contest.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Ja'Nae Williams, the 5-8 guard, leads the squad in rebounds, grabbing double-digit boards in 10 of the 21 games. She has accumulated 181 rebounds (8.6 RPG) this season. In addition, Williams has four double-doubles: against Findlay (10 points & 12 rebounds), at Tiffin (14 points & 10 rebounds), vs. Lake Superior State (18 points & 10 rebounds), and versus Fairmont State (16 points & 11 rebounds).

CONNECTING FROM LONG DISTANCE
Alex Matus can be found beyond the arc, shooting a triple as she has already surpassed last season's total. Matus has drained 41-of-112 triple attempts in 21 contests this year, for a three-point field goal percentage of .366. Last year, she connected on 37-of-106 three-pointers in 26 games for a .349 shooting percentage.

TOUGH COMPETITION
As of Feb. 5, two GLIAC teams were ranked in the top 13 of the WBCA D2 Coaches Poll. Ashland (19-2) fell eight spots to No. 11 after losing 73-71 to then 15th-ranked Grand Valley State on Feb. 2. GVSU (19-2) climbed two spots to No. 13 after posting victories at Wayne State on Feb. 1 and then third-ranked Ashland on Feb. 2. Northern Michigan (15-6) also received votes for the second time this season, after notching a 44-40 victory at Purdue Northwest on Feb. 2.

COMCAST/XFINITY
Wayne State's home women's basketball games in 2019 will be aired live throughout the state of Michigan on Comcast CN 900. Sean Baligian, Rod Beard and Joe Abramson will call the action.

MAKING STRIDES
Following the 2017-18 season record of 19-8, Wayne State was tied-for-eighth among the 2018 Most Improved Teams, along with Union (TN). WSU enhanced its record by 11.5 games, after an 8-20 record during the 2016-17 season.

LOHR REWRITES HISTORY
Following a 76-67 triumph at Purdue Northwest on Thursday, Jan. 10, head coach Carrie Lohr became the winningest coach in WSU women's basketball history, tallying 127 victories since her arrival in 2011. In her eight seasons with the Warriors, Lohr averages 15.88 wins per season with a 58.8 winning percentage. She surpassed Gloria Bradley (2000-11) who had 126 wins (11.45 wins per season) and a winning percentage of 42.3.

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