Women's Basketball 12/5/2018 9:21:00 AM Lauren Bryne, Sports Information Graduate Intern

Women's Hoops to Continue League Play on the Road

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (3-4 overall, 1-1 GLIAC) will face Davenport (3-5 overall, 1-1 GLIAC) on Thursday and Grand Valley State (6-1 overall, 2-0 GLIAC) on Saturday in its first league contests on the road.

STORYLINES
Wayne State will continue GLIAC competition with two away games this week. The Warriors travel to Davenport on Thursday (5:30 p.m.) and Grand Valley State on Saturday (6 p.m.). WSU fell short in its first league contest against Ferris State last Thursday, 68-51. However, the Warriors notched a 73-59 victory over Lake Superior State two days later.

THE SERIES
Wayne State and DU are tied 1-1 in the all-time series. The Panthers recorded a 43-41 home victory over the Warriors in their first meeting on Dec. 16, 2017. WSU answered at the next meeting in Detroit on Jan. 27, 2018, with a 43-36 win.

Wayne State trails 26-47 in the all-time series versus GVSU, which began on Feb. 28, 1974. WSU is 9-25 in Laker territory, and looks to break Grand Valley's five-game winning streak in the series, dating back to Jan. 2, 2016.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Davenport is in its second season of GLIAC play after previously competing in the WHAC. DU is 1-1 in league contests (3-5 overall), winning 67-62 at Purdue Northwest, but falling short, 69-64, at Parkside. Junior Jenna Falkenberg is ranked fifth in the GLIAC at 15.3 points per game and fourth with 10.5 rebounds per contest. Freshman Toni Grace also averages in double digits, recording 11.5 points per game.

Currently ranked 15th in the WBCA DII Top 25 Coaches' Poll, Grand Valley State started the season with a 6-1 record and a 2-0 mark in GLIAC contests. The Lakers traveled to Parkside and defeated the Rangers, 67-50, followed by a 75-49 win at Purdue Northwest. GVSU will face Ashland on Thursday before taking on the Warriors. Junior Cassidy Boensch is currently first in the conference with 11.9 rebounds per game, and second in points per contest (20.0) and field goal percentage (.609). Junior Jenn DeBoer also averages in double digits for GVSU, with 15.0 points per game, while contributing a team-high average of 4.3 assists.

LAST TIME OUT
WSU notched a 73-59 victory at home against Lake Superior State last Saturday in its second GLIAC contest of the season. Senior Ja'Nae Williams led the squad with a double-double (18 points and 10 rebounds). Freshman Sam Cherney recorded a career-high 15 points and snagged nine rebounds. Leading the entire game, the Warriors connected on 47 percent (8-of-17) of shots from beyond the arc, while grabbing a total of 42 boards.

NEW FACES
The 2018-19 campaign features 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 enters 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 among the 2018 Most Improved Teams, along with Union (TN). WSU enhanced its record by 11.5 games, after an 8-20 record during the 2016-17 season.

TOUGH COMPETITION
As of Dec. 4, two GLIAC teams were ranked in the top 25 of the WBCA D2 Coaches Poll. Ashland remains in the No. 1 ranking after a 7-0 start to the season. Grand Valley State climbed up a spot after a No. 16 ranking last week. GVSU is now ranked 15th with a record of 6-1.

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.

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.

NCAA RANKINGS
Senior guard Ja'Nae Williams is currently fifth in the GLIAC and tied-for-41st in the NCAA with 10.1 rebounds per game, while her 7.0 defensive rebounds per contest is tied-for-35th in Division II. Junior guard Alex Matus is 69th nationally in three-pointers made per game (2.57).

CRASHING THE BOARDS
Ja'Nae Williams leads the squad in rebounds, grabbing double-digit boards in five of the seven games. She has accumulated 72 rebounds (10.3 rpg) so far this season. In addition, William has had three double-doubles: against Findlay (10 points & 12 rebounds), at Tiffin (14 points & 10 rebounds), and vs. Lake Superior State (18 points & 10 rebounds).

CONNECTING FROM LONG DISTANCE
Alex Matus can be found beyond the arc, shooting a triple. Last season, she connected on 37-of-106 three-pointers in 26 games. Matus has drained 18-of-46 triples in the first seven games this year, for a three-point field goal percentage of .391 (compared to last year's .349).

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.

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.

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), Stony Brook (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.

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