Women's Basketball Set For Screaming Eagles

 
 

 
Shatona Clark had seven points and 10 rebounds in the 2/11/04 meeting.
 

Dec. 14, 2005

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Wayne State (3-5) at Southern Indiana (6-5)
Dec. 18, 2005 - 3 pm (Eastern)
Physical Activities Center - Evansville, Ind.

• GAME STORYLINES
After completing final exams, Wayne State is set for its next test as the Warriors' four-game road trip comes to a final stop in Evansville, Ind., with a regional match-up at the University of Southern Indiana on Dec. 18.

Wayne State alternated wins and losses for the first six games, but looks to end its current two-game losing skid.

With an active roster of 16 players, no one person is averaging over 25 minutes of action. Freshman point guard Joy Nash has totaled a team-high 199 minutes in her first eight collegiate games for an average of 24.9 per game.

WSU, who has played just two games at the Matthaei this season, will return to Detroit for five straight home appearances starting Dec. 30 against Kentucky Wesleyan.

• ON THE BENCH
Wayne State head coach Gloria Bradley has a 69-75 mark in her sixth season at WSU. Bradley is 183-144 in 12 seasons overall. Rick Stein has a 112-65 mark in his seventh season at his alma mater.

• THE SERIES
Wayne State looks for its first win against USI as the Screaming Eagles have won both previous meetings. In the last match-up on Feb. 11, 2004, Southern Indiana won 89-74.

• IN THE POLLS
Wayne State was selected to place sixth in South Division in the GLIAC coaches' preseason poll. USI earned 26 points with a third-place showing in the GLVC West Division poll.

• SCOUTING THE SCREAMING EAGLES
USI began the season with three straight losses at the Disney Tip-Off Classic, but have since gone 6-2, including a four-game winning streak. The Screaming Eagles are 5-1 at home, with a perfect 4-0 mark against non-conference opponents at the Physical Activities Center.

Sophomore forward Jasmine Baines leads the team in scoring (13.6 points per game), rebounds (5.6) and steals (23). Keisha Collins adds 10.4 ppg and has dished out a team-high 40 assists this season.

• LAST GAME NOTES
The WSU women's basketball team (3-5, 1-2) lost its second straight GLIAC South road game with an 84-54 loss at Hillsdale College (8-1, 4-0) on Dec. 10.

On Wayne State's opening possession, the Warriors had three offensive rebounds then freshman Joy Nash (Muskegon, Mich.) banked a shot in off the glass with her foot on the three-point line. After a WSU steal, junior center Ralphanee Peyton (Detroit, Mich.) got a feed from Nicole Rogers (Lansing, Mich.) and used a nice spin move for an easy layup and a 4-0 WSU lead.

Following a Charger put-back for a score, senior Shatona Clark (Detroit, Mich.) grabbed another offensive board off her own miss for a second-chance bucket and a 6-2 lead. But Hillsdale came back strong with a 25-0 run over the next 6:44 as the Warriors missed 15 straight shots from the floor.

Wayne State came back with a 15-6 run of its own as Nash hit a shot just inside the arc again at the 7:39 mark. Freshman Chastidy Miller (White Lake, Mich.) added five points and senior Casey Banks (Detroit, Mich.) banked in a pair of jumpers during the span. But it was HC leading 43-24 at the break.

WSU outscored the Chargers 10-8 in the opening 6:30 of the second half, but Jenn Carlson had the hot hand for Hillsdale, draining her seventh three of the game to put HC up 61-38 with 10:26 to play. She led all players with 27 points.

The Warriors shot 30.9 percent from the field, including a 1-of-12 performance from downtown. The Chargers hit 53.7 percent of their shots and were 12-of-22 on three-pointers.

Peyton and junior Cherita Smith (Grand Rapids, Mich.) were the only WSU players in double figure with 10 points each. Peyton also had a team-high six rebounds, five assists and two blocks.