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 Brooke Bowers had 14 points, four steals and four rebounds in the win at Mercyhurst. |
Feb. 8, 2007
Erie, Pa. - The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (10-13 overall, 8-5 GLIAC) rallied from a halftime deficit for the fourth time this year to post a 57-51 triumph at Mercyhurst College (6-17 overall, 2-11 GLIAC) Thursday evening.
The Warriors struggled out of the gate falling behind 9-0 in the first 3:30 as WSU went zero-for-seven from the floor and had two turnovers in the opening minutes.
The host Lakers had a 20-7 lead at the 12:45 mark before the Wayne State offense kicked in as the visitors went on a 15-4 run to pull within two at 24-22 with 4:02 remaining. Freshman Brooke Bowers (Delphos, Ohio/Jefferson) keyed the run with nine points, while sophomore Monique George (Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech) scored four points and sophomore Chastidy Miller (White Lake, Mich./Waterford Kettering) added two foul shots.
Mercyhurst finished the first half on a 9-2 run for a nine point lead at intermission. The Lakers scored the first points of the second half and held an 11 point advantage at 37-26 at the 17:49 mark.
At this point the Warrior defense stepped forward and held MC without a point for 8:16 and without a field goal for 11:05. WSU went on an 18-1 run to take a 44-38 lead at the 8:14 mark. Senior Ralphanee Peyton (Detroit, Mich./Cody) had five points during the streak with Bowers contributing four points. Miller added three points, while senior Cherita Smith (Grand Rapids, Mich./Union), junior Nicole Rogers (Lansing, Mich./Everett) and sophomore Joy Nash (Muskegon, Mich.) each had two points as Wayne State took its first lead of the contest.
Over a span of 12:44, the Warrior run was 22-4. Mercyhurst answered with a 10-5 run to pull within two at 53-51 with 1:07 left. Nash grabbed the rebound off her own missed shot and then seconds later fed Rogers for a jumper and a four point lead. After the Lakers missed a triple try, Nash grabbed the rebound and Rogers made two foul shots with four seconds left to secure the road win.
Bowers tied for game-high honors with 14 points. Miller added 11 and Rogers had 10. After shooting 21.9 percent (7 of 32) from the floor in the first half, WSU rebounded with 45.8 percent shooting on 11 of 24 in the second half. Rogers led Wayne State with eight rebounds as the Warriors held a 40-37 advantage on the glass.
Wayne State is 3-3 in road GLIAC contests and can secure a playoff spot with a win Saturday at Gannon (1 p.m. tip-off).
Notes:
The victory was WSU's first when scoring less than 60 points this season.
Wayne State is 6-2 against GLIAC South Division opponents this year.
The win snapped a two-game losing streak at the Mercyhurst Athletic Center (MAC).
WSU head coach Gloria Bradley improves to 12-3 all-time versus Mercyhurst including a 5-2 mark at the MAC.
The triumph secured WSU's fifth season sweep of MC in Bradley's seven years at WSU.
Joy Nash tied a career-high with six rebounds.
Chastidy Miller made nine of 12 from the foul line and has 98 free throws made this season eclipsing her mark of 97 (which was sixth best single-season total in school history) set last year.
Bowers had career-highs in rebounds (4) and steals (4) while equaling her career-best in free throws made (5).
