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Wayne State University Athletics

Shea Tripp vs. Findlay - 12-19-23
Zack Belsky/WSU Athletics
Shea Tripp posted 13 rebounds and 11 points for her second double-double of the season.
67
Wayne State WS 8-3
84
Winner Northwood NU 6-4
Wayne State WS
8-3
67
Final
84
Northwood NU
6-4
Winner
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 3 4 F
Wayne State WS 14 15 19 19 67
Northwood NU 26 11 29 18 84

Game Recap: Women's Basketball | | Matthew Jurek, Sports Information Graduate Assistant

Women's Basketball Closes 2023 With Loss at Northwood

Ferguson, Fugate, and Tripp accounted for 48 of WSU's 67 points.

MIDLAND, Mich. -- The Wayne State University women's basketball team (8-3 overall) fell 84-67 on the road at Northwood University (6-4 overall) inside Riepma Arena on Saturday afternoon to close out the 2023 portion of its 2023-24 schedule.

The Warriors finished the non-conference slate with a 7-2 record, with the pair of defeats to G-MAC opponents in Ashland and Northwood.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Quarter
WSU and NU, former GLIAC rivals, each held the lead over the first 3:03 of the opening stanza.  Junior forward Shea Tripp (Jackson, Mich. / Michigan Center) connected on a pair of layups for the Warriors' first four points, while the Timberwolves countered with layups from Maizie Taylor and Jayla Strickland.  A triple from Alli Keyser put the hosts ahead 7-6, and Northwood never trailed again for the rest of the contest.  NU finished the final 5:49 of the first period on an extended 17-8 run to nab a 12-point edge (26-14) after 10 minutes.

Second Quarter
Redshirt senior guard Becca Fugate's (Holly, Mich.) layup 54 seconds into the second quarter were the only points tallied in the opening 2:09 of the frame.  Between the 7:43 and 2:49 marks, the Green and Gold had a 13-3 run to knot the score at 29-29.  Fugate notched six points in the stretch, while a three-pointer by freshman guard McKenna Ferguson (Grandville, Mich. / Byron Center) served as the game-tying shot late in the half.  Makenzie Todd's triple 47 seconds later with 2:02 remaining gave the Timberwolves a 32-29 lead.  That was part of a 8-0 run by Northwood, which put the hosts ahead 37-29 at the break.

Third Quarter
The Timberwolves continued their pace into the second half by notching the first five points of the third quarter.  Todd made a triple and Strickland a jumper to put NU ahead 42-29.  A pair of free throws from Fugate at the 8:03 mark ended a nearly five minute scoring drought for the Warriors.  Two more three-pointers from Hannah Schroeder and Maddie Voelker pushed Northwood's lead to 15 (48-33), and WSU was forced to call timeout following Voelker's layup with 6:11 left that put NU ahead by 17 (50-33).  The final six minutes of the third were nearly even as the Timberwolves outscored the Warriors by just one (17-16).

Fourth Quarter
The final stanza was the first in which Wayne State secured more points than their former conference foes (19-18), but the deficit proved to be too much to overcome.  Ferguson had 10 of her squad's 19 points in the quarter, while also earning more points in the final 10 minutes than the first 30 minutes combined.  Fugate added five points, while Tripp contributed a trio of made free throws.  Sophomore forward Thaya Luse (Elburn, Ill. / Example Academy) knocked down a shot from the charity stripe in the game's closing seconds.

TEAM STATS
Both teams shot similar percentages, with Northwood shooting 45 percent (29-of-65) from the field and Wayne State 42 percent (24-of-57) from the floor.  NU's three-point success was a key to its victory, as the Timberwolves knocked down 11 of their 26 triple tries (42 percent).  WSU made five of their 20 attempts (25 percent) from beyond the arc.  The Warriors nailed 14 of their 18 free throws (78 percent), with Northwood making 15-of-22 (68 percent).  The Green and Gold out-rebounded NU by one (38-37), while the Timberwolves had seven more assists (18 to 11).

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Ferguson tallied a game-best 19 points and five steals, along with grabbing seven rebounds.  Fugate totaled 18 points to finish the contest three shy of 1,000 for her career.  She entered the game at 979 career points scored.  Tripp earned a double-double with 13 rebounds (a game high) and 11 points.

LEADING THE TIMBERWOLVES
Strickland recorded a team-best 15 points and 10 rebounds to finish with a double-double.  Voelker (14 points), Taylor (13), Todd (11), and Ava DiMilla (10) all scored in double-figures for the game.  Keyser and Maeve St. John tied for the team lead with three steals, while Taylor garnered a game-high eight assists.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will head back into GLIAC action on Thursday, January 4, at home against Purdue Northwest.  The first contest of 2024 is scheduled to begin at 5:30 p.m. from the Wayne State Fieldhouse.

 
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