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 Shane Lawal led WSU with 13 points and eight rebounds at Iowa. |
Nov. 9, 2008
Iowa City, Iowa - The Wayne State University men's basketball team began its 2008-09 campaign with 59-36 setback at the University of Iowa in an exhibition contest Sunday afternoon.
The Warriors started strong as senior Shane Lawal (Southfield, Mich./Lathrup/Oakland Univ.) won the opening tip and junior Bryan Wright (Warren, Ohio/Harding/Lakeland C.C.) hit a three-pointer just 16 seconds into the game.
Following a Hawkeye jumper, freshman Reggie Stallings (Flint, Mich./Carman-Ainsworth) drained a triple. After a defensive rebound by Lawal, he was awarded at the other end with a bucket off a feed from Wright for an 8-2 WSU advantage.
Neither team scored for the next two minutes until freshman Nick Waller (Harper Woods, Mich./Grosse Pointe North) had a lay-up from Lawal increasing the Warrior lead to 10-2.
After an Iowa timeout, the Hawkeyes scored the next 11 points giving the hosts their first lead at 13-10 following a triple by Jermain Davis.
Lawal and Dale Brundidge (Southfield, Mich./Detroit Country Day) recorded back-to-back baskets as Brundidge feed Lawal for a dunk, while Brundidge scored from inside giving Wayne State at 14-13 lead with 10:55 remaining in the first half.
Iowa responded with the next five points, but the Warriors answered with five straight points to knot the game at 20 with 6:17 left. Wright scored all five points on a jumper and a three-pointer.
The Hawkeyes scored the final eight points before halftime as WSU missed eight field goal attempts and had two turnovers.
Justin Sample (Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech/Detroit Mercy) split a pair from the foul line just over a minute into the second half, but Iowa scored the next six points and the Warriors never got closer than 11 points the rest of the way.
Lawal led WSU with 13 points and eight rebounds, with Wright adding 12 points and four assists. The Warriors shot 31.9 percent (15-47) from the floor compared to 40.4 percent (19-47) for the Hawkeyes. Anthony Tucker scored a game-high 21 points including 5-of-10 from beyond the arc.
Both teams had 10 turnovers, with Iowa holding a 35-30 edge on the boards.
Wayne State plays its regular-season opener at home this Saturday against Marygrove College. Tip-off is slated for 3 p.m. at the Matthaei. Fans can listen to the game on 1400 AM (WDTK) or online at wdtkam.com. The contest will also be aired online with video and the radio feed (audio) through an agreement with B2.
