STORYLINES
After a pair of impressive wins over Northern Michigan and Michigan Tech on Jan. 3rd and Jan. 5th, the Warriors have dropped their next four GLIAC games by a total of 14 points, including three in overtime, before Wednesday's non-conference victory at Central State.  Wayne State hosts Ashland on Saturday as it continues a five-game GLIAC home stand.

THE SERIES
Wayne State leads 31-25 in the all-time series against Ashland.  The teams first met in 1922 and then as GLIAC counterparts in 1997.  WSU is 20-9 at home vs. the Eagles and head coach David Greer is 18-13 (10-5 at home) in his time with the Green & Gold.  AU has won six of the last eight meetings, but Wayne State has taken two of the last three contests.

SCOUTING THE EAGLES
Ashland is 17-1 overall and 9-1 in the GLIAC.  The Eagles have won their last four games after losing at Parkside, 68-61, on Jan. 10th.  Head coach John Ellenwood is in his 10th season with the program.  Junior center Drew Noble is scoring a team-high 16.8 points per game, while junior D1 transfer Rodrick Caldwell is averaging 14.2 points per night.  Redshirt senior guard Ben Haraway (13.5 PPG) and redshirt sophomore Aaron Thompson (10.5 PPG) are both averaging in double figures.  Thompson is also the team's top rebounder at 9.5 boards per night.

LAST TIME OUT
Wayne State collected its first road win of the season on Wednesday night with a 69-50 victory at Central State.  The Warriors led 36-30 at halftime and held off a Marauders run early in the second half to secure a win in the final non-conference game of the 2018-19 campaign.  Javon Henderson finished with game-high totals of 21 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks.  Latin Davis, Jr. tallied 19 points and six assists, while Darian Owens-White chipped in with 13 points.  The Warriors out-rebounded the Marauders 51-28 and tallied 14 second-chance points.

HENDERSON'S CONTRIBUTION
Javon Henderson has grown into a standout player during his final collegiate campaign.  He has posted three double-doubles in January, the first three of his career.  He notched a 31-point and 14-rebound performance at Purdue Northwest (Jan. 10th) and followed that with 15 points and 13 rebounds at Parkside (Jan. 12th).  On Wednesday at Central State, he tallied 21 points, 15 rebounds and six blocks.

CLOSE CALLS
Wayne State snapped a four-game losing streak on Wednesday at Central State.  During the dry spell, the Warriors played three overtime games and another came down to the final possession.  WSU lost the four games by a total of 14 points.

TOUGH SCHEDULE
Wayne State has played six (#1-Bellarmine,  #2 Lewis, #5 Northern Michigan, #7 Davenport, #8 Ohio Dominican and #9 Grand Valley State) of the top 10 teams in the Midwest region (at the time of the meeting).  Ashland is ranked second and Ferris State is ninth in the latest poll.  WSU's remaining schedule ranks 33rd (.597 winning percentage) and 78th in terms of cumulative opposition (.557 winning percentage).

NATIONAL RANKINGS
Darian Owens-White ranks 10th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.473) and 27th in minutes per game (36:26).  Latin Davis, Jr. ranks 48th in minutes per game (35:35).

SHARP SHOOTER
Sophomore Darian Owens-White is quickly becoming one of the most lethal long-range shooters in the league and nation.  He has made 47 percent of his three-point attempts this season.  He currently ranks sixth in the league and 10th nationally in three-point field goal percentage (.473), and is tied-for-sixth in program history in career three-point percentage (.425 / 51-of-120).  Additionally, his 51 made triples ranks 33rd.

RIM PROTECTOR
Senior center Tristan Wilson has become one of the best shot blockers in program history. Wilson ranks ninth with 78 career blocks and his 1.2 blocks per contest is seventh best in the Wayne State record books.  This season, he ranks fourth in the GLIAC in blocks per game (1.4).  His 21 total blocked shots is tied-for-sixth best in the league.

HEAD COACH LONGEVITY
Head coach David Greer is in his 18th season as the top man on the Warriors' bench.  He equals the school record for years as head men's basketball coach in 2018-19, joining Newman Ertell (1929-48) and Joel Mason (1948-66) at 18 years on the WSU bench. 

COMCAST/XFINITY
Every home men's basketball game in 2019 will be aired live throughout the state of Michigan on Comcast/CN 900.  Sean Baligian (play-by-play), Rod Beard (analyst) and Joe Abramson (sideline) will call the action.
 

LIVE ON WDTK
Kevin Brechmacher will call every contest live on WDTK - The Patriot (1400 AM / 101.5 FM).  Former Warrior standouts Ian Larkin and Mike Lewis will serve as analysts during home broadcasts during the 2018-19 season.  Fans can also stream the action online at PatriotDetroit.com.