Eastern Wayne Today

The Wayne State University women's basketball team secured a decisive victory against Lake Superior State, winning 88-49 in Sault Ste. Marie on Thursday evening. The game took place at the Norris Center/Bud Cooper Gymnasium, where the Warriors improved their record to 16-7 overall and 9-5 in the GLIAC conference.

In the first quarter, Wayne State established an early lead with sophomore forward Taylor Thompson and redshirt senior guard Kate McArthur each scoring six points. The Warriors maintained control throughout the game after initially moving ahead 11-5.

Lake Superior State managed to narrow the gap to five points early in the second quarter, but Wayne State responded with an 11-point run to widen their lead. Junior forward Shea Tripp contributed significantly during this period with five consecutive points.

The third quarter saw Wayne State extend their advantage further, holding Lake Superior State scoreless for nearly six minutes while amassing a 31-point lead. By the end of the third quarter, Wayne State led by 28 points.

In the final quarter, Wayne State executed two significant runs of eight and ten points respectively, cementing their win. A lay-up from sophomore forward Mackenzie Miller brought Wayne State's total to a season-high of 88 points.

Wayne State's shooting accuracy was evident as they hit 49 percent of their shots from the floor despite only making one three-pointer out of thirteen attempts. Their free throw performance was flawless with all nineteen attempts made successfully. The team also excelled in rebounds, assists, steals, and capitalizing on turnovers compared to Lake Superior State.

Tripp led Wayne State with seventeen points and five assists. Thompson added thirteen points while freshman guard McKenna Ferguson scored ten. Sophomore forward Gabi Lutchka contributed eight points along with seven rebounds.

For Lake Superior State, Gracey Metz scored twelve points and Amanda Roach added ten. Grace Bradford stood out with fourteen rebounds and seven points.

Wayne State is set to face Ferris State next in Big Rapids on Saturday at Jim Wink Arena.