DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (0-0 overall) will open its season at home this weekend with two games as part of the GLIAC/G-MAC Challenge.  On Friday, the Warriors will face the Findlay Oilers (0-0 overall) at 7:00 PM and will move on to host the Lake Erie Storm (0-0 overall) on Sunday at 2:00 PM.

STORYLINES
Wayne State will begin the 2018-19 campaign at home with the two games as part of the GLIAC/G-MAC Challenge.  The Warriors will will face the University of Findlay for the 43rd time on Friday, before battling Lake Erie on Sunday.

THE SERIES
WSU is tied 21-21 with Findlay in the all-time series, which began in 1991.  The two teams have met every season since 1998.  The Warriors had their four-game winning streak against the Oilers snapped in 2016.  Wayne State won 92-88 win in overtime last year in Painesville, Ohio.

Wayne State is 9-3 all-time against Lake Erie, including wins in eight of its last nine contests.  The series began in 2010, and the two programs have faced off in each of the previous eight seasons.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Findlay finished the 2017-18 season with a 22-8 record.  The Oilers won their contest against Walsh in the 2018 G-MAC Tournament Semifinals, but fell short against Hillsdale in the G-MAC Championships and to Drury in the NCAA Regionals.  The former GLIAC opponent played its first season in the G-MAC during 2017-18.  Findlay is returning its leading scorer from last year in senior forward Anna Hintz (18.4 PPG).  Hintz also led the squad in free throws made (129), rebounds (8.6 per contest), and blocks (27).

Lake Erie lost five of its final seven games in 2017-18, concluding the season with a 13-16 overall record.  The Storm joined the G-MAC for the 2017-18 season after competing in the GLIAC.  Junior guard Josie Chaddock is the top returning scorer at 10.9 PPG.  She also led the team in steals with 58.

NEW FACES
The 2018-19 campaign will feature four new faces on this season's 16-player roster.  Freshmen Sam Cherney (6-3 forward), Grace George (6-0 forward), Alexis Miller (5-7 guard), and Kate Sherwood (5-8 guard) have joined the Warriors this year.  Additionally, redshirt senior Daejia Hill will enter the lineup once again after rejoining the squad last January.

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

PRE-SEASON ACCOLADES
Junior guard Nastassja Chambers was named to the Preseason All-GLIAC South Division Team.  It is the first time she has received this honor.

Chambers enters the 2018-19 season ranked 35th in career points (737) in just 55 games, and 11th with a 13.4 scoring average (min. 30 GP).  She is also fourth in free throw percentage (.803 / min. 125 attempts), 10th in field goal percentage (.487 / min. 260 attempts), 12th in minutes played per game (30.0 / min. 30 GP), 25th in free throws made (163), 38th in field goals made (276), tied-for-40th in blocked shots (20), 41st in steals (95), 46th in games started (50), 49th in three-point field goals made (22), and 51st in minutes played (1,652).

MOVING UP IN THE POLLS
After being tabbed-for-fourth in the South Division of the 2017-18 GLIAC Preseason Coaches Poll (then finished fourth overall), WSU was selected to finish third in the South Division in this year's Coaches' Poll with 39 points.  The Warriors recorded a league mark of 14-6 last year.

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.  WSU qualified three straight seasons (2013-14-15) for the NCAA Tournament posting a 5-3 mark.

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), the Stony Brook Seawolves (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.

FAMILIAR FOES
The Warriors will begin the 2018-19 season in the GLIAC/G-MAC Challenge with experience against both opponents.  Findlay and Lake Erie are both beginning their second seasons in the G-MAC, after switching leagues from the GLIAC in 2017.  Wayne State defeated Findlay in overtime, 92-88, on Nov. 11, 2017, then upended Lake Erie, 76-54, the next day.

TOUGH COMPETITION
Two GLIAC teams were ranked in the top 25 of the WBCA D2 Preseason Coaches Poll.  Ashland was ranked No. 2 behind Central Missouri, after a 34-1 record in the 2017-18 season.  Grand Valley State was ranked 13th following a 26-7 campaign.

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

SEASON PREVIEW
The 2018-19 women's basketball team looks to continue its rise in the GLIAC standings after a 14-6 league record a year ago.  This season's experienced squad consists of nine players who are either in their third or fourth year of their college career.

Leading the returnees will be junior guard Nastassja Chambers, who started 26 games last season and contributed 379 points (14.0 points per game).  

Senior guard Ja'Nae Williams will also be a leader for the Warriors after starting 23 games last year.  She led the team in rebounds (187) and was second in both assists (69) and steals (43).

Veteran leadership will additionally come from seniors India Hawkins, Paige Villemure and Jessica Murphy.  Hawkins played in 23 games last season making two starts.  Villemure participated in 20 games, while Murphy started 14 times and made 23 triples.

Junior twins Alex and Lyndsey Matus also return, along with classmate Sadia Johnson, redshirt sophomore Chavon Tiggs, and sophomores Anna Ruhstorfer and Tori Perez.