Bulldog Win Streak Halted In Road Setback Against #11 Wayne State

Detroit, Mich. - Nationally 11th-ranked Wayne State proved to be too much for the Ferris State University women's basketball team as the Warriors registered a 75-53 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) home win over the Bulldogs in a battle of two of the league's top teams on Sunday (Jan. 4) in the Motor City.

Wayne State ran its winning streak to five-straight games by jumping out to an early lead over FSU, which had claimed three wins in a row coming in and was only a game out of first place in the conference. Both teams also had identical 4-1 league marks prior to the outing.

After the early start, Wayne State took a 41-31 edge into halftime and then outscored FSU 34-22 the rest of the way to record the win. WSU improved to 9-1 overall and 5-1 in the GLIAC with the win while the Bulldogs fell to 6-3 overall and 4-2 in conference play.

Ferris State was held to only 32.7% shooting for the afternoon and was only two-of-14 (14.3%) from three-point range. FSU hit 17-of-22 (77.3%) free throws.

Meanwhile, Wayne State shot 47.5% overall and was eight-of-21 (38.1%) from beyond the arc and nine-of-13 (69.2%) at the line.

Destiney Lavita-Stephens scored a game-high 23 points for the Warriors and hit five three's, including four early as WSU built its first-half lead. Talented All-America forward added 17 points and 13 rebounds in a double-double showing. Ondrea Hughes chipped in 12 points to aid the WSU cause.

Ferris State did not have anyone reach double-digits as FSU was led by both junior forward Christina Branch and freshman Rachel McInerney with eight points each. Both junior guard Dena Droste and senior forward Ashley Rando totaled seven points apiece.

The Warriors held a significant 42-29 edge on the boards and tallied 14 offensive boards to only seven for FSU, which led to a 20-8 margin in second chance production.

The Bulldogs did force 21 Wayne State turnovers and held a 15-10 advantage in points off turnovers despite 18 of their own. WSU finished with 12 steals to eight for the Bulldogs.
Branch paced FSU on the boards with nine rebounds and added a team-high three assists for Ferris State in the setback. 

The Bulldogs had previously upset a nationally-ranked Wayne State squad in the most recent series' meeting late last season in Big Rapids.

Ferris State returns home for a pair of league contests this coming week. FSU will square off against Malone on Thursday (Jan. 8) at 6 p.m. (ET) before playing host to Walsh on Saturday (Jan. 10) beginning at 1 p.m. (ET).