HAMMOND, Ind. -- The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (9-8 overall, 3-6 GLIAC) notched a 71-59 victory at Purdue Northwest (4-13 overall, 3-6 GLIAC) on Saturday afternoon.

HOW IT HAPPENED
WSU fell behind, 4-2, to start the contest, but scored six consecutive points to lead by four at the 6:20 mark (8-4).  Sophomore Grace George (DeWitt, Mich.) contributed six of the eight Green and Gold points.  PNW made a layup, but senior Sadia Johnson (Kalamazoo, Mich. / Central) responded with a bucket, followed by a point from the charity stripe (11-6).  A five-point spurt by the Pride tied the score, 11-11, with 2:25 left in the period.  Senior Nastassja Chambers (Ypsilanti, Mich. / Arbor Prep) regained the Warrior lead with a jump shot, however, Purdue Northwest made the final bucket of the quarter at the 1:56 mark to tie the score once again, 13-13.

Wayne State allowed five points to start the second stanza, before going on an eight-point run (21-18).  A PNW triple tied the contest, 21-21, with 5:02 on the clock.  Over the final 3:31 of the half, back-and-forth scoring equaled a total of six lead changes.  During this time, Chambers tallied four points, while sophomore Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) recorded three points.  The Green and Gold had a one-point advantage at halftime (30-29).  Johnson, George, and Chambers each contributed eight points in the first half.

The Pride tallied the first six points of the second half (35-30).  Johnson drained a triple at the 7:41 mark.  PNW made its own shot from beyond the arc, but senior Alex Matus (Millbury, Ohio / Toledo Central Catholic) responded with a long-distance bucket to cut the deficit to two points (38-36).  Over the next 3:01, back-and-forth buckets ended with a seven-point Purdue Northwest lead (49-42).  Johnson, however, made back-to-back triples which made it a one-point game at the 2:10 mark.  Including the six points by Johnson, the Green and Gold tallied 10 consecutive points to regain the lead (52-49).  The Pride made a jump shot with 18 seconds left, but a buzzer beater by junior Kara Wilson (Ann Arbor, Mich. / Huron) gave WSU a three-point advantage at the end of the stanza (54-51).

The Pride opened the final period with a layup at the 9:33 mark.  Over the next 8:13, Wayne State held PNW scoreless while going on a nine-point spurt (63-53).  During this time, Johnson led in scoring five points for the Green and Gold.  Purdue Northwest drained a triple with 1:20 left in the game (63-56).  The next five Warrior points came from the foul line to extend their lead to 12 points (68-56).  A final three pointer made by the Pride was not enough for the home team.  Wilson made a free throw with 26 seconds left and Chambers topped off the contest with a layup at the five-second mark.  Wayne State tallied a 71-59 win at Purdue Northwest.

TEAM STATS
WSU shot 47 percent (27-of-58) from the floor, while the Pride scored 35 percent (24-of-69) from the field.  The Warriors were 11-of-14 (79 percent) from the charity stripe, with PNW connecting on 100 percent (3-of-3) of their shots from the foul line.  Wayne State had a 48-30 edge in rebounding, while also leading 10-4 in blocked shots.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Johnson scored a game-best 22 points, including five buckets from long distance.  Chambers contributed 15 points and a season high of eight rebounds in her 100th career contest for the Green and Gold.  George earned her eighth double-double of the year with 14 points and a game-best 11 boards.  George led the team with a career-high four assists.  Cherney nearly had a double-double with 10 rebounds and nine points.

LEADING THE PRIDE
Danielle Nennig contributed a team-best 17 points, while connecting on three triples.  Savaya Brockington led PNW in rebounding with seven boards.  Anjel Galbraith dished out a game high of eight assists.

UP NEXT
The Warriors will host Saginaw Valley State on Thursday, Jan. 23rd, for a 5:30 p.m. contest.