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 Sophomore Brittany White had a career-high 17 points. |
Jan. 12, 2006
DETROIT - The Wayne State Warriors had their two-game winning streak end with an 89-71 loss to visiting GLIAC South rival Ashland University on Thursday, Jan. 12 at the Matthaei. Wayne State falls to 5-8, 2-3 GLIAC as the Eagles go to 9-7, 4-2 in the league.
WSU sophomore forward Nicole Rogers (Lansing, Mich.) scored all of the Warriors' first seven points as they held a 7-6 lead 3:45 into the game. After an AU basket, older sister Kristen Rogers (Lansing, Mich.) knocked down a three to put Wayne State back on top.
A wide-open Kristen Rogers called for the ball under the basket and scored on a reverse layup that put WSU up by six. The Rogers sisters combined for 14 of WSU's first 20 points.
The Eagles tied the game at 20 with just over six minutes left in the first half, but junior Cherita Smith (Grand Rapids, Mich.) responded with a three. A jumper and two free throws by sophomore Brittany White (Chicago, Ill.) capped off an 11-5 WSU run. Ashland scored five unanswered points in the final 1:28 of the half, but it was the Warriors up 31-30 at the break.
The Rogers connection opened the second half as Nicole hit a three from an assist by Kristen. Senior Casey Banks (Detroit, Mich.) blocked an Eagle shot on defense then put WSU up by five with a fast-break basket on the other end. White scored on a mid-range jumper and followed that with an assist to Chastidy Miller (White Lake, Mich.) on her three-point basket for a 42-35 Warrior lead.
Ashland came back with a 14-6 run to grab a one-point lead at the 12:44 mark. The squads went back-and-forth as Nicole Rogers scored WSU's next five points, and Kristen Rogers' second three-pointer of the game gave the Warriors a 56-54 advantage. But the Eagles scored 10 of the next 12 points for a six-point lead that they wouldn't relinquish the rest of the game.
Nicole Rogers scored a season-best 17 points while White's 17 points was a career-high in her first start of the season.
WSU's streak of four straight games out-rebounding its opponent ended as AU held a 49-33 advantage on the boards.
The Warriors will look to bounce back on Saturday as they host Findlay at 1 p.m.
