First half woes no more for women’s hoops; Warriors solid throughout in 88-75 win

Jeff Buck
Staff Writer

The Wayne State women’s basketball team has been searching for the right pieces to put together a strong first half. On Saturday, the Warriors found them in an 88-75 win over Mercyhurst College 88-75 at the Matthaei Center.

An opening three pointer from Mercyhurst did not faze the Warriors, as a tough defense would allow WSU (2-4, 1-1 GLIAC) to build an early, eight-point lead. Lindsay Whipkey spoiled WSU’s energy by filling up two easy baskets down low for Mercyhurst, bringing them within four with 13:11 left in the half.

Whipkey would end the game as Mercyhurst’s leading scorer with 25 points, along with six rebounds and three assists in 28 minutes.

A few adjustments were made, and WSU took back control of the game. Leading 17-11 with 10:16 left in the half, the Warriors would go on a 21-15 run, heading into the locker room with the lead for the first time this season, 38-26.

“Defensively, it was a good first half,” said WSU head coach Gloria Bradley. “Offensively, we made some miscues, turned the ball over too many times, missed some easy buckets, and we need to get stronger with the ball.”

When the teams took the floor for the second half, Mercyhurst (2-4, 0-2 GLIAC) had the hot hand.Stephanie Prischak sank two three-pointers, cutting the WSU lead to six points with 15 minutes to play. That’s as close as it would get because WSU built its lead, leading by as much as 15 and never giving up a 10-point margin.

Miller led the Warriors with 17 points (7-for-11) and grabbed five boards. She shot 5-for-7 in the first half, scoring 11 points.

“I had a lot of open shots, open looks from good passing by Joy (Nash) and I was able to knock them down,” Miller said.

Nash had a spectacular game with 11 points (3-for-7), shooting 5-for-6 from the free throw line, as well as 10 assists, recording her first double-double of the season.

Nash attributed her success to being “able to push the ball up court and find the open shooters.” After the game, she didn’t downplay the importance of Wayne State’s win.

“This was an important game because it was a GLIAC game,” Nash said. “We need the confidence, and we were able to get inside of our heads and tell ourselves we were not going to lose this game.”

Coming off the bench, Cherita Smith contributed early with 10 points, shooting 4-for-12 with two three-pointers during the first half. She would end the night with 13 points (5-for-15), sinking 3-of-8 from beyond the arc.

With six points and two blocks, Bethany Jury led WSU with seven rebounds in 18 minutes of play.The Warriors will have time to rest before they meet Hillsdale, a GLIAC opponent, at home next Saturday at 1 p.m.

The South End, December 4, 2006