STORYLINES
The Warriors will visit Purdue Northwest this weekend to start the second half of the league schedule. Friday's contest is scheduled to tip-off at 4 p.m. with Saturday's series finale slated for a 1 p.m. start (both times listed are Eastern).  Wayne State is looking to end its four-game losing streak.
  
THE SERIES
WSU leads 6-0 in the all-time series against Purdue Northwest in a series that began when the Pride joined the GLIAC in 2017.  Wayne State won last year's contest in Indiana by a 71-59 score.  The Warriors
are averaging over 81 points per game in the series.  WSU has won all three meetings in Indiana.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Purdue Northwest (2-7 Overall, 2-7 GLIAC) are on a four-game losing streak after winning back-to-back contests (January 17th at Lake Superior and January 22nd vs. Davenport).  PNW went 6-22 last season.

Sophomore guard Savaya Brockington leads the Pride in scoring at 13.4 points per game, while senior guard Danielle Nennig is averaging 13.3 points per contest.  Nennig has made a team-best 13 triples, while Brockington has connected 11 times from beyond the arc.   Juniro center Molly Devalkenaere has a team-high 57 rebounds, while Nennig is second with 47 boards.  Sophomore guard Anjel Galbraith has a team-high 26 assists, while a trio of players - Nennig, Dash Shaw and Kennedy Jackson - are tied for the team lead with 12 steals.

Head coach Courtney Locke is in her 15th year as a collegiate coach, and second as head coach of the Pride.

GRAND VALLEY STATE SERIES RECAP
Wayne State lost both games in its home series with Grand Valley State falling 66-57 on January 30th and 61-49 and January 31st.

In the series opener, the Warriors had a 37-27 lead at the half against GVSU, but would only score 20 points in the second half.  Wayne State led for over 30 minutes in the contest.

The early part of the fourth quarter was close with five lead changes in the first 3:30.

WSU's last lead (49-48) came with 7:40 remaining, and the Warriors were within two points on four occasions but could never knot the score.

GVSU would make 9-of-10 free throws in the final minute to defeat the Warriors 66-57.
 
Becca Fugate led WSU with a game-high 20 points.  Sam Cherney chipped in with a 18 points and game-high totals of 16 rebounds and five blocks.  Alexis Miller had a game-best six assists and seven steals, along with six rebounds.  Tori Perez chipped in with 10 rebounds.

The Warriors were down 18-11 after the first quarter on Sunday and trailed 25-20 at intermission.

Both teams scored 19 points in the third quarter with GVSU winning the final period 17-10.

Kate Sherwood led WSU with team-high totals of 15 points and three assists.  Fugate chipped in with 14 points and Cherney had a game-best 10 rebounds.

NCAA STATS RECAP
WSU ranks 13th in NCAA Division II in blocked shots per game (4.8), 24th in field goal percentage defense (35.8), 26th in blocked shots (43), 29th in rebounding margin (+6.6), 31st in rebounds per game (42.33) and 33rd in defensive rebounds per game (29.7).

Junior forward Sam Cherney is eighth in both blocked shots per game (2.89) and total blocks (26), 22nd in rebounds per game (10.2), 38th in defensive rebounds per game (7.1), 40th in double-doubles (3) and 41st in rebounds (92). 

CHERNEY IS BLOCKING HER WAY INTO THE RECORD BOOKS
Wayne State junior Sam Cherney became the school's all-time leader in blocked shots with three rejections at Saginaw Valley State (2/22/20).
A year ago, she became the first player in school history to average over two blocks per game for an entire season.

This year Cherney is averaging nearly three blocks per game and has at least two blocks in all but one contest this season.  Cherney has recorded at least one blocked shot in 16 consecutive games.    

TABBED FOR FOURTH
Wayne State was voted fourth in the GLIAC South Division Preseason Coaches Poll.  Ashland was selected first in the South Division with 11 first-place votes and 61 points.  Grand Valley State earned the other first-place vote and 43 points.  Saginaw Valley State (39 points) and Wayne State (28 points) were ahead of Northwood (27 points) and Davenport (18 points).

GLIAC ACCOLADES
Junior forward Grace George was selected GLIAC South Division Player of the Week after helping the Warriors to a split against Northwood.  It is her first weekly honor from the conference office.

In the game one victory, George had game-high totals of 30 points and 12 rebounds, while shooting 4-of-5 from beyond the arc.  She scored a game-best 22 points in the game two setback, along with tying for team-high honors with three assists.  For the weekend, George averaged 26.0 points per game and 8.5 rebounds per contest while shooting 53 percent (19-of-36) from the floor, including 56 percent from three-point range (5-of-9).  She was also 9-of-12 (75 percent) from the charity stripe, while contributing three assists and three blocks.

WARRIOR COACHES
Assistant coach Karen Lafata, who holds three degrees from Wayne State, has been with head coach Carrie Lohr for all nine-plus seasons.  Graduate assistant Christina Green joined the coaching staff in the summer of 2019.  Green played basketball for the Warriors between 2013 and 2017 scoring in double figures 19 times.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
Every home basketball game this season will be streamed live for free.