DETROIT – The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (1-0 Overall, 1-0 GLIAC) began the 2020-21 campaign with 75-52 victory over visiting Lake Superior State University (0-1 Overall, 0-1 GLIAC) Monday afternoon at the Matthaei.
FIRST HALF RECAP
There were six lead changes and four ties in the opening stanza. Neither squad shot particularly well from the field or the foul line in the first 10 minutes of the game despite each team scoring 17 points. LSSU was 5-of-13 (39 percent) from the floor, with three of the five buckets coming from three-point range. The Warriors also made five field goals (of 17 attempts for 29 percent) and were just 5-of-10 from the charity stripe.
The largest lead of the first quarter was a five-point margin (16-11) by WSU following a triple by junior guard Alexis Miller (Howell, Mich.) with just over three minutes left.
LSSU ended the first period on a 6-1 run to knot the game at 17-17. Junior forward Grace George (DeWitt, Mich.) led all scorers with seven points in the opening stanza.
The second quarter featured much of the same with three ties in the first seven minutes, before the Lakers had a pair of three-point advantages (27-24, and 29-26).
Wayne State concluded the first half on a 5-2 spurt and the score was even at 31-31 at intermission.
SECOND HALF RECAP
The Warrior defense held Lake Superior State without a field goal for over nine minutes to start the third period (just two free throws by the Lakers), while totaling 25 points before LSSU's Rebecca Villanueva scored on a lay-up.
Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) led WSU with seven points in the frame, while George added six points and sophomore Becca Fugate (Holly, Mich.) contributed five points.
The fourth quarter was nearly even with Wayne State holding a 19-17 scoring edge.
LEADING THE WARRIORS
George had a game-high 20 points (two shy of her career high), while Cherney notched a double-double with 11 points and a game-best 10 rebounds, along with three blocked shots. Fugate chipped in with 10 points and four assists. Alexis Miller dished out a game-high five assists.
LEADING THE LAKERS
Villanueva had team-best totals of 13 points and six rebounds with Margot Woughter contributing 11 points.
TEAM STATS
Wayne State shot 41 percent from the floor (28-of-68), compared to 27 percent (15-of-55) for LSSU. Both teams attempted 25 triples, with WSU making six (24 percent), while the Lakers connected on five shots from beyond the arc (20 percent). Both squads also attempted 20 foul shots with the Warriors making 13 (65 percent) with Lake Superior State shooting 85 percent (17-of-20). Wayne State held a 53-30 rebounding margin, which included 16 offensive boards by the Warriors.
COACH LOHR NOTES
Wayne State head coach Carrie Lohr improved to 6-4 in season openers and 7-3 in home openers with the win.
UP NEXT
Wayne State and Lake Superior State will conclude the two-game series on Tuesday with a 1 p.m. tip.