WBB vs. FSU and LSSU Game Preview Graphic

Women's Basketball 11/28/2018 10:39:00 AM Lauren Bryne, Sports Information Graduate Intern

Women's Basketball to Host First GLIAC Contests of the Season

DETROIT -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (2-3 overall) will host its first two GLIAC contests of the season. WSU will face Ferris State (3-2 overall) on Thursday and Lake Superior State (3-2 overall) on Saturday.

STORYLINES
Wayne State will begin GLIAC competition with a pair of home games this week. The Warriors entertain Ferris State on Thursday (5:30 p.m.) and Lake Superior on Saturday (1 p.m.). WSU went 1-1 at the Ashland Thanksgiving Tournament last weekend falling 65-63 to Slippery Rock, before besting Missouri S&T 70-67 in overtime.

THE SERIES
The Warriors trail 32-38 in the all-time series against Ferris State. WSU ended a three-game series losing streak last season with a 76-72 win on Jan. 4, 2018, in Big Rapids. WSU is 19-14 all-time inside the Matthaei in the series.

Wayne State trails 35-39 in the all-time series vs. Lake Superior despite winning 12 of the last 13 meetings. WSU is 21-15 at home against the Lakers, and has won seven straight at the Matthaei since a 79-55 setback on Jan. 16, 2010.

SCOUTING THE OPPONENTS
Ferris State enters GLIAC play with a 3-2 overall record following a 91-77 win at Hillsdale and a 77-72 setback at Lewis. Reigning GLIAC Player of the Week Shaniya Huggins is averaging a team-best 14.6 points per game and has made a team-high five triples. Fellow sophomore guard Adrienne Anderson is averaging 13.6 ppg and leads the squad with 14 steals. Senior guard Alexis Bush leads the team with 15 assists and is averaging 10.6 ppg. Junior center Brayene Benner leads the Bulldogs in both rebounding (7.6 rpg) and 10 blocks.

Lake Superior won three straight games after a loss at Walsh to open the season. The Lakers fell 68-59 at Indianapolis last week. Junior forward Lexie Khon leads LSSU in scoring (13.8 ppg) and rebounding (5.6 rpg), while junior guard Claire Radtke is also averaging in double figures (10.4 ppg). Radtke, who had made a squad-best eight triples, and freshman guard Sadie DeWildt are tied for the team lead with six steals, with DeWildt having a team-high 17 assists. Sophomore center Eileene Naniseni has a squad-best seven blocks.

LAST TIME OUT
The Warriors rallied from a 15-point fourth quarter deficit to win by three on Sunday. WSU trailed the Miners of Missouri S&T 56-41 with 8:29 left in regulation. However, a 22-7 run by the Warriors tied the game. Senior Ja'Nae Williams had a triple with 1:19 left, then made two free throws with 50.6 seconds left to give the Warriors a 64-63 lead. S&T's Alex Kerr made the second of two foul shot attempts with 21.7 seconds left to send the game into overtime. In the extra session, Wayne State scored all six of its points on free throws as Williams made her first three attempts, junior Nastassja Chambers made both of her foul shots and freshman Sam Cherney made her first shot from the charity stripe. Cherney also had a big offensive rebound with 3.9 seconds left on a missed free throw by the Warriors.

NEW FACES
The 2018-19 campaign will feature 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 will enter 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 in 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.

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 fourth in the GLIAC and 40th in the NCAA with 10.2 rebounds per game, while her 7.4 defensive rebounds per contest ranks 34th in Division II. Junior guard Nastassja Chambers leads the GLIAC with 90 field goal attempts, which ranks 24th nationally. Junior guard Alex Matus is 37th nationally in three-pointers made per game (3.00).

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.

TOUGH COMPETITION
As of Nov. 27, two GLIAC teams were ranked in the top 25 of the WBCA D2 Coaches Poll. Ashland moved up to the No. 1 ranking after a 5-0 start to the season. Grand Valley State climbed back up two spots after a No. 18 ranking last week. GVSU is now tied-for-16th with a record of 4-1.

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.

SEASON PREVIEW
The 2018-19 Warriors look to continue their rise in the GLIAC standings after a 14-6 league record a year ago. This season's experienced squad consists of nine players who are either in their third or fourth year.

Leading the returnees will be junior guard Nastassja Chambers, who started 26 games last season and contributed 379 points.

Senior guard Ja'Nae Williams will also be a leader after starting 23 games last year. She led the team in rebounds (187) and was second in both assists (69) and steals (43).

Veteran leadership will additionally come from seniors India Hawkins, Paige Villemure and Jessica Murphy. Hawkins played in 23 games last season making two starts. Villemure participated in 20 games, while Murphy started 14 times and made 23 triples.

Junior twins Alex and Lyndsey Matus also return, along with classmate Sadia Johnson, redshirt sophomore Chavon Tiggs, and sophomores Anna Ruhstorfer and Tori Perez.

Print Friendly Version