Women's Basketball 1/8/2019 3:52:00 PM Lauren Bryne, Sports Information Graduate Intern

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

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad will continue league play at Purdue Northwest on Thursday (6:00 p.m.) and at Parkside on Saturday (2:00 p.m.).

STORYLINES
Wayne State will travel to Purdue Northwest on Thursday, Jan. 10, at 6:00 p.m., followed by a trip to Parkside on Saturday, Jan. 12, at 2:00 p.m. After two home GLIAC losses against Northern Michigan (69-56) and Michigan Tech (62-46), the Warriors have reached the mid-point of the regular season, with 14 games in the books and 14 league contests remaining.

THE SERIES
WSU leads 2-0 in the all-time series against PNW, which began in 2017. The Green and Gold notched a 93-61 victory in Pride territory last season, followed by a 73-51 win at the Matthaei.

Wayne State is 3-2 all-time against the Rangers. The series began in 1984, with the most recent meeting in March of 2013. The Warriors tallied a 70-60 win against UWP that year.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
In its second season as a GLIAC member, Purdue Northwest is 2-10 overall, with a 0-6 conference record. Last year, the Pride finished 4-21 overall and 2-9 in league contests.

Junior guard Shae Rhonehouse leads PNW in scoring (9.7 PPG), with freshman center Molly DeValkenaere grabbing 7.0 boards per contest. Head coach Tom Megyesi is in his 12th year and has won 191 games with Purdue Northwest.

This is Parkside's first season as a member of the GLIAC. The Rangers are 4-8 overall entering Thursday's match versus Ashland, with a 2-4 league record. UWP compiled a 9-21 overall mark last year as a member of the GLVC.

Redshirt senior guard Blair Arthur leads Parkside in scoring (14.0 PPG) and steals (1.6 SPG), while junior guard/forward Carolina Rahkonen is averaging 11.8 points per contest. First-year head coach Jen Conely was previously an assistant coach at Walsh University, helping the Cavaliers to a 21-9 overall record.

LAST TIME OUT
WSU fell 62-46 to Michigan Tech in Detroit on Saturday, Jan. 5. Senior guard Ja'Nae Williams led the Warriors, scoring a team-high 13 points. Both freshman forwards, Grace George and Sam Cherney, snagged a game-high 10 rebounds. Wayne State was 13-of-19 (68 percent) from the charity stripe, had a 44-38 lead in rebounds, and led 14-7 in second-chance points thanks to 16 offensive rebounds.

NATIONAL AND LEAGUE RANKINGS
Junior guard Alex Matus is tied-for-second in the GLIAC and tied-for-61st in the country with 32 three-pointers made, while freshman guard Alexis Miller is tied-for-15th in the league after making 17 triples. Senior guard Ja'Nae Williams is currently fourth in the conference and tied-for 39th nationally, grabbing 125 rebounds in the first 14 contests. Williams is also ranked ninth in the GLIAC with 60 field goals made. Freshman Sam Cherney is sixth in the league and tied-for-81st in the nation, recording 110 boards.

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Ja'Nae Williams leads the squad in rebounds, grabbing double-digit boards in nine of the 14 games. She has accumulated 125 rebounds (8.9 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. Last season, she connected on 37-of-106 three-pointers in 26 games. Matus has drained 32-of-84 triples in the first 14 games this year, for a three-point field goal percentage of .381 (compared to last year's .349).

TOUGH COMPETITION
As of Jan. 8, two GLIAC teams were ranked in the top nine of the WBCA D2 Coaches Poll. Ashland (13-1) moved up to the No. 7 spot after notching victories against Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan on Jan. 3 and Jan. 5. Grand Valley State (13-1) climbed the ladder to a No. 9 ranking after tallying wins vs. Ferris State on Jan. 3 and Lake Superior State on Jan. 5.

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.

WEAR PINK, GO GREEN AND GOLD
On Saturday, Jan. 19, WSU is hosting a Pink Out Day for the doubleheader vs. Saginaw Valley State (1:00 p.m. & 3:00 p.m.). Fans are encouraged to sport shades of pink at the game to raise breast cancer awareness. Special Wayne State socks can be purchased for $3.00 on game day, with proceeds going to a local charity that supports women receiving treatment. Those impacted by breast cancer will be recognized during both contests.

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.

FROM WNBA TO COACHING
Plenette Pierson was named an assistant coach at WSU this past August, following a 15-year WNBA career. Pierson won three WNBA Championships while playing for the Phoenix Mercury (2003-05), Detroit Shock/Tulsa Shock (2006-10), New York Liberty (2010-14), Tulsa Shock/Dallas Wings (2015-16) and the Minnesota Lynx (2017).

She was selected as the inaugural Sixth Woman of the Year in 2007 and a WNBA West All-Star in 2015. Pierson ranks 29th all-time in career points (4,258), 24th in rebounds (1,834), 24th in blocks (242), and 15th in field goal percentage (.439).

Pierson also played in 49 career playoff games. She ranks 27th all-time in playoff rebounds (208) and 19th in playoff blocks (31).

WARRIOR COACHES
Assistant coach Karen Lafata has been by head coach Carrie Lohr's side since about day one of Lohr's tenure. In Lafata's second year (2012-13), she helped guide WSU to the second-most wins in a season (22) as well as the first two NCAA Tournament wins in program history. The next year, Wayne State won the GLIAC regular-season title with a 17-5 record and advanced to the Sweet Sixteen of the NCAA Tournament for the second consecutive year. In 2014-15, Lafata assisted the Warriors in tying the school record for wins in a season (23), claiming the GLIAC South Division title with a school record of 18 league victories, and advancing to the Second Round of the NCAA Tournament.

Graduate assistant coach Juanita Cochran is returning for her second season at WSU. Prior to the start of her coaching career, Cochran played for the University of New Orleans (2009-10), Stony Brook (2010-11), and Wayne State (2011-13). She started 51 games for the Warriors and ranks 46th in scoring, despite playing only two seasons for the Green and Gold. In 2013, Cochran helped WSU reach the NCAA Midwest Regional final (Sweet Sixteen), where she scored 15 points and grabbed a season-high 17 rebounds in the loss at Ashland.

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