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 Chelsea Kouri scored a career-high 21 points in the loss at NMU. |
Dec. 18, 2008
Marquette, Mich. - The Wayne State University women's basketball team (2-5 overall, 1-3 GLIAC) lost a see-saw affair 70-68 at Northern Michigan (5-3 overall, 1-3 GLIAC) Thursday evening.
The contest featured nine tied scores and 12 lead changes (six in each half) with NMU's Kelsey Deacon hitting her seventh triple of the game with 13 seconds remaining.
After a WSU timeout, junior Brooke Bowers (Delphos, Ohio/Jefferson) drove baseline but her shot would not fall.
The host Wildcats scored the first five points of the game as the Warriors went scoreless until a three-pointer by Chastidy Miller (White Lake, Mich./Waterford Kettering) just over two minutes in.
Sophomore Chelsea Kouri (Clarkston, Mich.), who had a career-high 21 points, hit a jumper on WSU's next possession to tie the game. Senior Jasmine McCall (Detroit, Mich./CMA) finished off the 8-0 run with a conventional three-point play.
NMU answered with five consecutive points before the Warriors responded with an 11-2 run over the next three minutes for a 19-12 advantage. Kouri scored nine of the points (all on triples), while senior Joy Nash (Muskegon, Mich.) added a lay-up.
Each team scored 10 points over the next five minutes until the Wildcats had a 9-0 run to regain the lead at 31-29. Miller hit a pair of free throws to tie the game and Bowers drained a triple for a 34-33 lead.
A Quintell Foster (Detroit, Mich./Community) jumper pushed the lead to three points, but NMU scored the next five until Miller split a pair from the foul line on two occasions in the final 74 seconds. Miller's free throw with 48 seconds remaining tied her for the WSU career mark with Mary Rogers (1988-92) at 323 free throws made.
The score was tied twice early in the second half before the Wildcats went on a 10-2 run for a 54-46 lead with 14:20 remaining.
A jumper by McCall and another triple by Kouri made it a three-point contest.
After NMU's Erin Powers finished a conventional three-point play with 10:53 remaining for a 60-53 lead, the Warrior defense held the hosts without a field goal for over eight minutes (NMU did make four foul shots). Wayne State had a 12-4 scoring advantage to grab a 65-64 lead on a Foster jumper with just over 3:30 left.
Wildcat Kellie Rietveld made a shot from beyond the arc giving NMU a 67-65 lead. Neither team could score for the next minute until Miller split a pair from the charity stripe to pull within one. With her made free throw, Miller became WSU's all-time leader.
Kouri made two foul shots with 90 seconds left giving WSU a 68-67 lead. After both teams failed to convert on their next possessions, NMU's Deacon made her seventh triple for a two-point lead setting up Wayne State's final possession in which the Warriors were unable to get the tying bucket.
Deacon scored a game-high 26 points to lead two Wildcats in double figures. Kouri scored a career-best 21 points (previous high was 14 vs. Temple Baptist last season) and made a personal-best five three-pointers. Miller chipped in with 16 points, while McCall added 11 points and four steals. Nash contributed 10 points and three assists with Bowers adding six points and a game-high eight rebounds.
WSU concludes its 2008 conference slate with a 1 p.m. tip-off on Saturday at #14-Michigan Tech.
