Women’s hoops wins second straight road contest

Jeff Buck
Staff Writer

Both the Warriors men’s and women’s basketball teams traveled to Findlay, Ohio, Saturday, for a doubleheader match up with the Findlay Oilers.

The toughness of each team’s task varied as the women faced a Findlay team that was winless in conference play. The men took on an undefeated-in-the-conference Oilers squad that had won 47-straight home games.

Women’s Hoops

The Wayne State women’s basketball team handed the University of Findlay Oilers (4-14, 0-8 GLIAC) their eighth GLIAC loss of the season on Saturday with an 80-68 win.

The Warriors jumped out to a 14-3 run to start the game, fueled by offensive contributions by senior Cherita Smith and junior Nicole Rogers.

WSU head coach Gloria Bradley attributed the fast start to the Warrior defense.

“We got a couple good stops,” she said, “so that allowed them to be a little more patient than we normally would be if we would have come out and dug a hole.”

The Oilers went to Katie Greisiger early in the low post but it didn’t take long for Wayne State to disrupt the threat down low. The Warriors emphasized the importance of putting together superior defense all week in practice and displayed one of their best defensive showings of the year.

“We were very active on defense, we got deflections and steals,” Smith said. “We knew that we have to play defense in order to win. Our offense can’t win games for us.

“It starts with defense, so, we really clamped down and took away their shots.”

After 20 minutes of play, WSU headed to the locker room with an 11-point advantage over Findlay, leading 40-29 at halftime.

The Warriors’ offensive surge didn’t disappear during the break, as they opened the second half with a 7-0 run.

“We were just patient on offensive,” Smith said. “We passed (the ball) around, we got everyone involved. It really wasn’t a set play or anything, we were just very patient.”

The Oilers regained their confidence and cut WSU’s lead to single digits, closing the gap to within eight with 12:39 to play. However, the Warriors continued to play the game at their own pace, disrupting Findlay’s play by creating turnovers, protecting the ball and converting on offensive opportunities.

Wayne State led by as many as 20, giving the team its second straight victory. They are 4-0 when leading at halftime.Rogers recorded a double-double with 17 points and 10 rebounds. Smith scored 17 (7-14 from the field) with two steals in 28 minutes. Chastidy Miller was 10-11 from the free throw line, accounting for 10 of her 14 points to go along with four steals and three assists.

Men’s Hoops

The Warriors led at halftime but eventually fell, 68-52, to a seventh-ranked Findlay squad giving the Oilers their 48th straight win at Croy Gymnasium.

The Warriors offense came out strong, beginning the game with a 9-0 run, which started with a Joe Carr jumper off the high glass and ended with Will Pierce sinking a three-pointer.

With Kris Krzyminski in early foul trouble, Findlay (14-1, 8-0 GLIAC), battled back, tying the score at 11 when Tyler Evans connected from three-point range. After taking a brief lead on a layup by Lee Roberts, the Oilers once again found themselves chasing WSU (7-7, 3-2 GLIAC) as Carr and Krzyminski accounted for Wayne State’s next nine points.

The Warriors led by as many as six but another Evans three cut Wayne State’s lead to 29-28 at halftime. It was only the second time this season that the Oilers trailed at the break.

Findlay opened the second half with a 14-3 run, building a lead that got to as many as 10 points. Krzyminski connected on a three-pointer and Jason Saddler put in a layup to cut the deficit to three with 11:20 to play.

Evans spoiled the Warriors comeback plans, answering with a three to spark an Oilers run that built their lead to as many as 19, never allowing WSU to get within 13 points.

Krzyminski led the Warriors with 17 points, shooting 6-of-11 from the field, including 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.

Carr added nine points to go with his four assists in 32 minutes. Saddler grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds and scored eight points.

Evans was the star for Findlay, ending the night with 22 points, 18 of which came on three-point buckets.

The South End, January 16, 2007