DETROIT -- After falling to Grand Valley State in the GLIAC semifinals on March 7, 2020, Wayne State will not have played a game for 309 consecutive days by the time the Warriors and Lakers start the 2020-21 campaign on Monday.  When WSU advanced to the GLIAC semifinals last March, it was the first time since 2014.

Since fans are currently not allowed at GLIAC basketball contests, click here for all of the game coverage links.

STORYLINES
Wayne State will begin the delayed 2020-21 basketball season this Monday and Tuesday as Lake Superior State travels to Motown for a pair of contests. Both games begin at 1 p.m.

THE SERIES
Wayne State trails 37-41 in the all-time series against LSSU.  The Warriors have won five of the last seven meetings, and 14 of the last 17 match-ups starting with a WSU victory on February 6, 2010, in Sault Ste. Marie.  Wayne State has won nine straight meetings versus the Lakers at the Matthaei.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENT
Lake Superior State went 2-3 in its final five games last season to finish with an 8-19 overall record, along with a 4-16 GLIAC mark.

The Lakers return eight letterwinners, including two starters in sophomore Mattison Rayman (9.1 PG - top returning scorer) and junior Sadie DeWildt.

Head coach Brandon Lokken enters his fourth year in charge of the LSSU women's basketball program.  He has led the Lakers to a 19-60 overall record and a 9-51 record in GLIAC play.

WAYNE STATE SEASON PREVIEW
The Warriors lost four letterwinners from last year's squad that compiled a 16-14 overall mark.  Three of WSU's top-five scorers from a season ago (Sadia Johnson - 13.6 PPG, Nastassja Chambers - 10.9 PPG, and Alex Matus 43 triples) have graduated.

The cupboard is not bare for 10th-year head coach Carrie Lohr, as junior Grace George, who was a Preseason All-GLIAC South Division selection after averaging a double-double with 11.4 PPG and nine rebounds per contest, returns along with classmate Sam Cherney, a 2019-20 All-GLIAC Defensive Team honoree.  Cherney recorded a school record 62 blocked shots and grabbed 8.7 boards per game as a sophomore.

Also back are a quartet of seniors in Tori Perez, Anna Ruhstorfer, Kara Wilson and Ariel Bethea.

Perez has played in 77 career games, while Ruhstorfer saw action in 20 contests a year ago.  Wilson and Bethea are both transfers who saw their first action for the Green and Gold last season.

Juniors Alexis Miller and Kate Sherwood both played over 400 minutes last year.

The sophomore class consists of guard Becca Fugate, who scored 100 points and Central Michigan transfer Kate McArthur.

NEW FACES
Five freshmen have joined the Warriors.  Halle Barnett is a 6-1 center from Sylvania (OH) Southview, who earned Honorable Mention All-State recognition as a junior.   Jolee Houle is a 5-6 guard from Grand Haven (MI), who was named to the Division 1 Honorable Mention All-State squad.  Chenelle King is a 5-5 guard from Flint Carman-Ainsworth, who received Honorable Mention All-State accolades from BCAM as a senior.  Rebecca Morrish is a 6-5 center from Flushing, who missed most of her senior season with an injury.  Riley Davis, a 6-0 forward from Chelsea (MI) received BCAM Division 2 All-State honors in 2020, has opted-out for this season.

PRESEASON ACCOLADES
Junior forward Grace George was named to the All-GLIAC South Division Preseason Team.

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).

Ferris State was the top-ranked team in the North Division with six first-place votes and 53 points as fiour of the six schools received a first-place vote.  Behind the Bulldogs were Michigan Tech (2 FPV, 47 points), Northern Michigan (1 FPV, 41 points), Parkside (3 FPV, 38 points), Purdue Northwest (26 points) and Lake Superior State (11 points).

WARRIOR COACHES
Assistant coach Karen Lafata has been by head coach Carrie Lohr's side almost since 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 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 Christina Green joined the coaching staff in the summer of 2019.  Green played basketball for the Warriors between 2013 and 2017.  She finished her collegiate experience ranked sixth in career field goal percentage (.510 / 173-339, min. 150 made) and tied-for-19th in blocked shots (33).  Green also scored in double figures 19 times, 10 of which were during her senior year.  Green earned her bachelor's degree in Management from Wayne State in May of 2018 and is currently pursuing a master's in Sports Administration.

WARRIOR ALL-ACCESS
Every home basketball game this season will be streamed live for free.  Veteran Detroit sportscaster Joe Abramson will call both of the contests vs. Lake Superior State.