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 Senior Ralphanee Peyton had a team-high 14 points on Senior Day. |
Feb. 17, 2007
DETROIT - The Wayne State University women's basketball squad (10-16 overall, 8-8 GLIAC) closed out the home portion of its 2006-07 schedule with a 69-60 setback to visiting Saginaw Valley State University (10-14 overall, 7-9 GLIAC) Saturday afternoon at the Matthaei on the WSU campus.
The game was a close battle for the first five minutes with four ties, the last coming at 9-9 on a jumper by Warrior sophomore Chastidy Miller (White Lake, Mich./Waterford Kettering). The Cardinals then went on a 12-3 run over a span of 6:30 to grab a 21-12 advantage with 8:14 remaining before intermission.
SVSU followed with a 13-7 run to open a 15-point lead at 34-19 at the 3:32 mark. The Warrior defense limited the Cardinals to one point the rest of the half, but WSU was only able to score four on foul shots by Miller and freshman Rebecca Meyer (Brighton, Mich.) and a jumper by rookie Brooke Bowers (Delphos, Ohio/Jefferson).
Saginaw was able to secure its 12-point (35-23) intermission lead by shooting nearly 10 percent better from the floor (38.7 to 29.6) than WSU in the first half.
Wayne State came out inspired in the second half outscoring Saginaw Valley 18-5 in the first five minutes. Junior Nicole Rogers (Lansing, Mich./Everett) hit a triple just six seconds after halftime. Miller had a convention three-point play with a bucket and a foul shot and senior Ralphanee Peyton (Detroit, Mich./Cody) made two foul shots cutting the Warrior deficit to seven.
After two unsuccessful possessions for each time, Rogers made one of two from the charity stripe and Peyton answered an SVSU hoop with a lay-up of her own. Sophomore Joy Nash (Muskegon, Mich.) made two foul shots and when Peyton hit two foul shots following a Cardinal timeout, the Warriors were only down two at 40-38. After a steal by Peyton, Bowers drained a three-pointer giving the hosts a 41-40 lead.
Latille Ross hit a jumper at the other end as SVSU regained the lead and went on a 12-0 run to open a 52-41 lead as the Warriors were scoreless for nearly four minutes.
Bowers hit another triple and 95 seconds later made another jumper pulling Wayne State within eight at 54-46 with 9:17 remaining. WSU continued its comeback outscoring the guests 9-6 as senior Cherita Smith's (Grand Rapids, Mich./Union) lay-up with 4:23 left cut the Warrior deficit to five at 60-55.
The Cardinals scored four straight points before another three-pointer by Bowers made it a six-point contest with 41 seconds left at 64-58. Saginaw Valley made five of its final six free throw attempts in the final 37 seconds for the road win.
In the second half, SVSU again outshot WSU (45.8 percent to 34.5) even though the Warriors held a 37-34 scoring advantage.
Peyton led three Warriors in double figures with 14 points. Bowers had 13 points including three triples, while Miller added 12 points. Rogers, who let senior Bethany Mesko (Traverse City, Mich./Central) start on Senior Day, grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds.
The contest was the final home game for a trio of seniors - Bethany Mesko, Ralphanee Peyton and Cherita Smith - who were honored before the contest with Mesko singing the national anthem.
Wayne State closes out the regular-season at the same place it will start the GLIAC tournament some 78 hours later, at Hillsdale. The regular-season finale has a 1 p.m. tip-off on Saturday, Feb. 24, while the GLIAC tournament contest is slated to start at 7 p.m. on Tuesday, Feb. 27.
Notes:
Ralphanee Peyton led the team in scoring for the first game since Dec. 10, 2005, at Hillsdale.
Nicole Rogers had 11 rebounds equaling her and the team's season-best total (Rogers had 11 on Nov. 21 vs. Central State and Monique George had 11 Dec. 22 vs. Lake Superior).
After struggling from the foul line for most of the season, Wayne State is 30 for its last 38 (78.9 percent).
Brooke Bowers moved into 10th place on the WSU single-season charts for three-point field goals made with 51 (she was three of seven versus SVSU). Jill Hetherington (1996-97) is ninth with 54.
Brooke Bowers' three-point field goal percentage of .405 (51-126) ranks fifth on the Wayne State single-season list for those with at least 70 attempts.
Brooke Bowers made nine three-point shots in two games versus Saginaw Valley this season.
Chastidy Miller moved into a tie-for-fourth on the Warrior single-season list for free throws made with 109 (she is tied with Jodi Young's 2003-04 total). Pam Mahoney (1987-88) is third at 110.
Chastidy Miller tied the Wayne State single-season mark for free throws attempted at 153 by going to the foul line eight times against Saginaw Valley. She is tied with Ebony Vincent's 2003-04 total.
Joy Nash moved into seventh place on the WSU single-season list for assists with 134. Monique Johnson (1989-90) is sixth with 143.
Bethany Jury moved into a tie-for-eight on the Warrior single-season list for blocked shots with 21 after swatting two Cardinal shots on Saturday. She is tied with Casey Banks (2005-06) and is one behind the sixth-place tie of Kathy Nelson (1994-95) and Lillie Payne (1990-91).
Nicole Rogers had a double-digit rebound total in a game for the 10th time in her career.
Ralphanee Peyton set a career-high with six free throws made (on six attempts) vs. SVSU.
