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 Cherita Smith had a team-high 17 points. |
Feb. 16, 2006
BIG RAPIDS, Mich. - Five players scored in double figures, but the Wayne State women's basketball team (8-15, 5-10 GLIAC) dropped a 90-71 decision against Ferris State (17-8, 11-5 GLIAC) Thursday evening at Jim Wink Arena.
Junior guard Cherita Smith (Grand Rapids, Mich.) hit a three-pointer that tied the game at 3-3 in the first two minutes of play. The Bulldogs then scored the next eight of the next 10 points to go up 11-5.
Senior Kristen Rogers (Lansing, Mich.) hit an open three and threw a touchdown pass down the court to Smith to cut the lead to 15-12. FSU answered with a 10-2 run to open up an 11-point lead with 11:54 to play in the half.
Sophomore guard Brittany White's (Chicago, Ill.) triple, followed by a Smith steal and layup combination made it a four-point game. Moments later, Casey Banks (Detroit, Mich.) scored two fields and Rogers had another steal and layup sequence for WSU to get the Warriors within one at 30-29.
Ferris State increased its lead back up to nine points as the Dogs hit back-to-back three pointers with 2:07 on the clock. The squads exchanged buckets making the halftime score 44-35.
Early in the second half, FSU expanded its lead to 15 points before the Warriors scored eight straight to make it 60-53 with 11:05 left. Then freshman Chastidy Miller (White Lake, Mich.) was fouled and made both bonus free throws to get WSU within five.
The Bulldogs responded with a 10-3 run and led 72-58 with 6:32 remaining. They grabbed an 18-point lead, before WSU scored five in a row with just over two minutes left. But FSU went back up by 20 in the final minute of play for the win.
Smith led Wayne State with 17 points, while Rogers had 13 points and needs just 10 more to reach 1,000 career points. White (11), Banks (10) and Miller (10) were the three other Warriors in double digits.
The Warriors travel to University Center on Saturday to face Saginaw Valley State.
