Northwest Wayne News

EAST LANSING, Mich. -- The Wayne State University women's basketball team faced Michigan State in their only exhibition game of the pre-season on Monday evening, resulting in a 101-40 loss.

In the first quarter, Wayne State struggled offensively, missing their initial ten field goal attempts and committing five turnovers. ZaMaria Polk ended a scoring drought with a field goal after Michigan State's 21-0 run. By the end of the quarter, Wayne State trailed 30-2.

During the second quarter, Taylor Thompson scored WSU's sole field goal early on. McKenna Ferguson added one point from a free throw as Wayne State missed their final 18 shots before halftime. The team managed just two successful field goals out of 35 attempts in the first half while Michigan State shot at 74 percent efficiency.

The third quarter saw improvement for Wayne State, though they were still outscored by MSU 23-16. Shea Tripp led with eight points, supported by Mackenzie Miller who scored twice towards the end of the period.

In the fourth quarter, MSU narrowly outscored WSU 20-19. Gabi Lutchka contributed eight points for Wayne State, including two three-pointers, while Jaci Tubergen added two field goals.

Overall team statistics highlighted Michigan State's shooting advantage at 65 percent compared to Wayne State's 25 percent. The Spartans also led in rebounding with a margin of 49-31.

Shea Tripp was notable for Wayne State with ten points and seven assists. Grace VanSlooten and Theryn Hallock topped Michigan State’s scoring chart with sixteen points each.

The game also marked an Ayrault family reunion; Julia Ayrault assisted eight times for Michigan State while Annabel Ayrault scored a three-pointer for Wayne State. Their father Andy serves as an assistant coach for Wayne State.

Wayne State is set to begin its regular season on Friday, November 8th against Malone University at home.