Wayne State Holds On To Top Bulldogs In GLIAC Quarterfinals

Detroit, Mich. - It's always tough to beat a team three times, but Wayne State was able to do just that as the Warriors beat Ferris State 68-59 in the quarterfinals of the 2013 Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) Tournament on Wednesday (March 6) night at the Matthaei Complex in Detroit.

The Bulldogs' fought to the end, but saw their season come to a close with the loss and it marked the final game for the Bulldog contingent of guards Kylie Muntz and Caitlin Carmody along with forwards Felicia Standley and Katy Fox.  All four were recently-honored during FSU's Senior Day contest prior to their final regular-season home outings.

On the road in the GLIAC Tournament, the sixth-seeded Bulldogs could not keep their season alive and advance to the league semifinals for the second-straight year as Wayne State kept its season going by advancing after winning the GLIAC's North Division title this year.

Third-seeded Wayne State surged out in front early by double-digits before the Bulldogs climbed back in the game.  However, a late first-half run allowed the Warriors to grab a 39-26 halftime advantage.

In the second half, though, the Bulldogs rallied back and outscored WSU 33-29 over the final 20 minutes.  FSU trimmed the margin down to 62-56 with 1:21 to play, but the Warriors answered with a basket by Talisha Bridges to push the advantage back to eigth and were able to hold on for the win.

Junior forward Ashley Rando paced the Bulldogs with 17 points in the outing and hit three three-pointers.  Junior guard Sarah DeShone added 13 points and Standley contributed 10 points in the loss.  Muntz concluded her Bulldog career with seven points and two assists.

Wayne State received a game-high 21 points from Bridges while Juanita Cochran added 14 points and Kristen Long scored 11 points.

The Warriors limited FSU to 32.3% shooting for the night. FSU hit eight-of-20 (40%) three's along with nine-of-16 (56.2%).  Wayne State connected on 40.9% shooting along with two-of-14 (14.3%) treys and 12-of-19 (63.2%) free throws.

The Bulldogs took care of the ball with only 11 turnovers and FSU also forced 17 miscues from Wayne State on the defensive end.  WSU owned a 51-40 rebounding edge and came away with 18 offensive boards to 14 for the Bulldogs in the game.

Wayne State posted a dominating 44-10 margin in points scored inside the paint and held a 21-11 advantage in fast break production along with a slim 14-13 cushion in points off turnovers and a 8-7 edge in second chance scoring.

Ferris State did receive 22 points off its bench to 21 for the Warriors.

The Bulldogs' saw their first season under first-year head coach Colleen Lamoreaux-Tate come to a close with a 13-13 overall record.  FSU was making its 14th all-time GLIAC Tournament appearance and had advanced to at least the semifinals in its last four trips to the annual league event.

Wayne State will move on to the GLIAC Semifinals this Saturday (March 9), which will be played at Kates Gymnasium in Ashland, Ohio.