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Wayne State University Athletics

Alex Matus vs. LSSU 2020
Senior Alex Matus tied the WSU record with nine triples in a game.
53
Lake Superior St. LSSU 6-13,2-10 GLIAC
79
Winner Wayne St. (MI) Wayne 12-8,6-6 GLIAC
Lake Superior St. LSSU
6-13,2-10 GLIAC
53
Final
79
Wayne St. (MI) Wayne
12-8,6-6 GLIAC
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Lake Superior St. LSSU 13 19 9 12 53
Wayne St. (MI) Wayne 23 20 17 19 79

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Lauren Bryne, Sports Information Graduate Intern

Alex Matus Leads Women's Basketball to 79-53 Victory

The Warriors made 11 three pointers, which is tied-for-14th in program history.

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (12-8 overall, 6-6 GLIAC) upended Lake Superior State (6-13 overall, 2-10 GLIAC), 79-53, at home on Thursday evening at the Matthaei.

HOW IT HAPPENED
WSU allowed five Laker points to start the contest, but senior Alex Matus (Millbury, Ohio / Toledo Central Catholic) connected on four consecutive triples in less than two minutes giving the Warriors a 12-5 lead at the 5:46 mark.  LSSU's Claire Radtke made a layup, but the Green and Gold went on a seven-point spurt for a 19-7 advantage with 3:37 left in the period.  Lake Superior State ended its scoring drought with a pair of free throws.  Senior Sadia Johnson (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Central) made a conventional three-point play at the 2:20 mark, extending the WSU lead to 22-9.  The Warriors were limited to only one free throw over the final 2:19, while the Lakers tallied four points.  Wayne State led 23-13 at the end of the first stanza.

Junior Tori Perez (Belleville, Mich.) and sophomore Grace George (DeWitt, Mich.) made back-to-back layups to start the second quarter.  Radtke drained a three-pointer with 9:09 on the clock to pull the Lakers within 11 (27-16).  Matus tallied her fifth long-distance bucket less than a minute later, but Lake Superior State responded with another basket from beyond the arc to cut the deficit to 11 points (30-19).  Over the next 3:00, the Warriors limited LSSU to only free throws, while recording five points for a 35-19 advantage.  During this time, Matus knocked down her sixth triple of the night.  LSSU's Abigail Ostman made a layup at the 5:02 mark, before a 2:55 scoring drought for the visiting team.  Freshman Mercedes Wagner (Sherwood, Ohio / Fairview) tallied the lone WSU point from the charity stripe during this time.  Lake Superior State's Rebecca Villanueva scored from long distance at the 2:05 mark, but Matus drained another triple for a 39-26 Warrior lead.  Each team scored four points over the next 1:23, but LSSU topped the period off with a jumper at the three-second mark.  The Green and Gold had a 43-32 advantage at halftime.

Matus tallied her eighth triple to open the second half, but Wayne State went cold for the next 2:41.  During this time, the Lakers scored five consecutive points to cut the deficit to nine (46-37).  Matus ended the scoring drought with a three-point bucket at the 6:28 mark, to equal the school record for triples in a game.  After a Laker bucket, WSU held Lake Superior State scoreless over the next 4:52, while going on an 11-point spurt, extending the Green and Gold lead to 60-39.  LSSU made the last basket of the stanza at the 1:03 mark, with the Warriors leading 60-41 after 30 minutes.

Wayne State went on a six-point run to extend the lead to 66-41.  The Warriors maintained a 25-point advantage (70-45) after back-and-forth buckets during the next 3:28.  The Lakers tacked on another four points, but a six-point spurt for the Green and Gold extended the lead to 76-49 with 1:34 left in the game.  In the remaining 1:09, WSU was outscored 4-3, with all three Warrior points coming from Matus at the foul line.  Wayne State notched a 79-53 victory over Lake Superior State.

SENIOR SPOTLIGHT
After draining nine triples, Matus tied the school record for three-point field goals made in a game at WSU.  The only other time that a Warrior women's basketball player recorded nine long-distance baskets during a game was by Brooke Bowers in January 2008 vs. Mercyhurst.  Matus' 32 points was a career high, with her previous career best at 18 points.  The last WSU player to score at least 32 points in a game was Shareta Brown in January 2015 versus Grand Valley State.

TEAM STATS
WSU shot 45 percent (30-of-67) from the floor, while the Lakers were limited to 33 percent (19-of-57) from the field.  The Warriors were 11-of-25 (44 percent) from beyond the arc, with LSSU connecting on just 33 percent (6-of-18) of its three-point attempts.  Wayne State had a 39-38 edge in rebounding, while also leading 22-15 in assists, 14-3 in steals and 9-1 in blocked shots.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Matus contributed a career-high 32 points.  Senior Nastassja Chambers (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Arbor Prep) was the only other WSU player to score in double figures with 12 points.  Sophomore Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) recorded game highs in both rebounds (14) and blocks (4).

LEADING THE LAKERS
Radtke (17) and Villanueva (11) each scored in double figures.  Lexie Kohn snagged eight rebounds, while Sadie DeWildt dished out a game-best seven assists.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will host the Ferris State Bulldogs for the second meeting this season.  Tip-off is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. at the Matthaei on Saturday.


 
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