DETROIT -- The 11th-ranked Wayne State University women's basketball squad (4-0 overall, 2-0 GLIAC) defeated visting Northwood University (3-3 overall, 1-1 GLIAC) 66-62 Sunday afternoon at the Matthaei.

Senior Shareta Brown (Pontiac, Mich. / Grand Blanc) totaled 26 points and 19 rebounds to surpass both the 2,000th-career point plateau as well as the 1,000th-career rebound mark.

WSU trailed in the early going until a fast-break lay-up by freshman Shannon Wilson (West Bloomfield, Mich. / Bloomfield Hills), making her first career start, off a feed from sophomore Gabby Machado (Pontiac, Mich. / Northern) snapped a 4-4 deadlock.

The game was tied seven times in the first half with the last one coming at the 8:12 mark as junior Destiny Lavita-Stephens (Grand Blanc, Mich. / Goodrich) sank a pair of free throws to turn a 23-22 deficit into a 24-23 lead.  In the tightly contested opening 20 minutes, Northwood's biggest lead was three points (9-6), while WSU's was five points ()30-25 and 32-27.

Brown garnered 17 points and eight rebounds in the first half that saw both teams make 11 field goals with the Warriors holding a 34-31 lead based on an 11-of-12 performance from the charity stripe.

Wayne State scored the first 10 points of the second half, holding the Timberwolves without a point for the first 5:10 after the break. 

The Warriors led by 10 (59-49) with 4:33 remaining following an offensive rebound and put-back by Machado.

Northwood kept chipping away at the deficit and pulled within four (63-59) on a triple by Emily Kutch with 1:34 left.  Kutch's three pointer, and a later free throw, completed an 11-4 run by NU after Machado's bucket.

Lavita-Stephens split a pair from the foul line with 22 seconds left to make it 64-60.  An offensive rebound and basket by Northwood's Jordyn Nurenberg with 10 seconds remaining cut the Warrior lead to two.  Lavita-Stephens was fouled on the inbounds and sank both free throws in the double bonus to seal the win.  The Timberwolves Ashley Campbell tried to drive the lane in the waning seconds but Brown took the ball away for her fourth steal of the game.

Machado recorded nine rebounds, six points and three assists, while senior Jackie Jones (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King) contributed seven points.

Lauren Robak led three Timberwolves in double figures with 16 points.  Kutch totaled 14 points off the bench, while Gabrielle Rivette scored 10 points before fouling out.

Wayne State will take to the road for the first time this year making the trek north to the Upper Peninsula.  The Warriors will play at Michigan Tech on Saturday and Northern Michigan on Monday (Dec. 15), before hosting the WSU Holiday Tournament on Dec. 19-20.