The Wayne State University men’s basketball team is set to conclude its regular season at home inside the WSU Fieldhouse. The Warriors, currently 12-12 overall and 9-9 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC), are aiming to secure a home game for the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals. They will host Lake Superior State on Thursday and Saginaw Valley State on Saturday.
Last week, Wayne State split its final two road games, defeating Roosevelt 92-85 before falling to Parkside 77-66. Lake Superior State enters Thursday’s matchup with a 16-11 overall record and a 10-8 mark in conference play. The Lakers have won five consecutive games and seven of their last eight but have struggled away from home, holding a 5-8 record in away contests.
Saginaw Valley State stands at 13-13 overall and 7-11 in the GLIAC. The Cardinals have recently ended a four-game losing streak with back-to-back wins.
Wayne State leads the all-time series against Lake Superior State by ten games (49-39), though the Lakers have taken twelve of the last sixteen meetings. A win would give Wayne State two straight victories over LSSU for the first time since the 2012-13 season. Against Saginaw Valley State, the Cardinals lead historically (48-42), but Wayne State has won four of the last five matchups and seeks a third consecutive home win over SVSU—a feat not achieved since 2001-02.
Lake Superior State’s success this season has been built on ball security, ranking fifth nationally in assist-to-turnover ratio (1.59) and eighth in turnover margin (5.2). The Lakers also rank among national leaders in several offensive categories, including three-pointers attempted per game (16th), assists per game (18th), fast-break points (21st), three-point percentage (23rd), scoring offense (24th), steals per game (24th), and turnovers forced per game (24th).
Six Lakers average at least eight points per game: Omar Suleiman leads with 16.6 points, followed by Harrison Sorrelle (13.1), Nino Carter-Smith (11.1), Karter Richards (9.5), Tyler Jamison (8.4), and Drew Hess (8.1). Jamison leads in rebounds with an average of 4.8 per contest, while Carter-Smith averages 4.7 assists—second best in the league—and has collected 57 steals this season.
For Saginaw Valley State, Xavier Thomas paces his team with an average of 16.8 points per game, supported by Marquese Josephs (12.3), Dontez Scott II (11.2), and Triston Nichols (8.0). Nichols and Kevonne Taylor both average 5.2 rebounds per game; Taylor is also ranked tenth nationally for blocks per game at 2.36 and twelfth for total blocks with 59.
In their most recent outing against Parkside, senior Carlos Paul III started strong for Wayne State with an early lay-up that led to multiple lead changes within the opening minutes of play. Despite efforts from juniors Jordan Briggs, Jalen Jenkins, Marshall Thorn, Jotham Nweke, and redshirt sophomore Adam Ayrault—who contributed key baskets throughout—the Warriors were unable to overcome an early deficit and ultimately lost by eleven points.
Briggs finished as top scorer for Wayne State with fourteen points while making all eight free throws he attempted; Nweke added thirteen points along with ten rebounds for his third double-double of the season; Thorn recorded a season-high twelve rebounds.
The upcoming games will be broadcast on Warrior Sports Network with Kevin Brechmacher providing play-by-play commentary alongside Chuck Key or Marcus Moore as color commentators and Brady Beedon or Tony Ortiz reporting from the sideline.
The Wayne State Warriors Men’s Basketball program competes in NCAA Division II as part of the GLIAC conference and is recognized as a major athletic initiative serving Detroit through Wayne State University athletics department activities. The program maintains historical records documenting achievements such as GLIAC Player of the Year honors and NCAA Regional All-Tournament selections. It also recognizes its top players throughout history.
