The Wayne State University women’s basketball team is set to host two upcoming games at the WSU Fieldhouse in Detroit, facing 12th-ranked Northern Michigan on Thursday, February 12, and Michigan Tech on Saturday, February 14. The Warriors enter these contests after a notable upset over top-ranked Grand Valley State.
Northern Michigan leads the all-time series against Wayne State 40-28. The last home win for the Warriors against NMU was a 71-56 result on January 15, 2022, when Grace George scored 17 points, Kate Sherwood had 12 points, and Alexis Miller also contributed 12 points. Earlier this season, Wayne State lost to NMU despite Taylor Thompson scoring 27 points.
Against Michigan Tech, Wayne State has a record of 23-49 but has won the last two matchups. The most recent victory came earlier this season with an 86-83 win in Houghton. McKenna Ferguson led with 21 points, Gabi Lutchka added 18, Jaci Tubergen recorded her first career double-double with 14 points and ten rebounds, and Thompson posted eleven points and ten rebounds.
Northern Michigan currently holds a record of 20-4 overall and is second in the GLIAC standings at 11-3. Jacy Weisbrod leads both NMU and the conference in scoring at an average of seventeen points per game while making over forty-two percent of her three-point attempts. CJ Romero has registered more than one hundred assists for NMU this season.
Michigan Tech enters its next game with a record of fourteen wins and eight losses. Ella Mason is their leading scorer with an average of just over fourteen points per game. Sam Clayton is in her eighth year as head coach for MTU.
Wayne State’s recent win over Grand Valley State marked its first victory against a No.1 ranked team in program history after previously being winless in such matchups.
After spending much of the season on the road—fourteen out of twenty-two games—the Warriors will play four of their final six games at home where they remain undefeated so far this year.
Several individual milestones are within reach for key players: Junior guard McKenna Ferguson needs twenty-five more points to reach one thousand career points; senior forward Taylor Thompson requires seventy-one; senior forward Gabi Lutchka needs eighty-nine.
Head coach Carrie Lohr achieved her four-hundredth collegiate head coaching victory during a win at Tiffin earlier this season.
Taylor Thompson has recorded seven double-doubles this season and ranks among active Division II players nationally for career double-doubles. Gabi Lutchka has also collected three double-doubles this year including back-to-back performances on the road and another against Roosevelt College. Jaci Tubergen earned her first double-double during the team’s previous matchup with Michigan Tech.
Wayne State’s strength of schedule ranks fifth nationally out of nearly three hundred schools according to NCAA metrics.
Six GLIAC Player of the Week awards have been earned by Wayne State student-athletes so far this campaign: McKenna Ferguson (two), Taylor Thompson (three), and Gabi Lutchka (one).
Jaci Tubergen’s role has increased significantly from last season; she now averages more than six points per game compared to under two previously and leads with eighteen made three-pointers so far this year. Emily Homan has also seen more playing time as a junior compared to prior seasons.
Statistically, Wayne State leads the GLIAC in field goal percentage (.452) which places them eleventh nationally among NCAA Division II teams. They also rank first in defensive rebounds per game within their conference.
McKenna Ferguson stands fifth nationwide in three-point shooting percentage (44.4%). National rankings place WSU thirteenth according to Massey Ratings and thirty-first by WBCA poll standards.
In their most recent outing, Wayne State secured a narrow victory over Grand Valley State University—handing GVSU its first loss in nearly one year—thanks to clutch free throws by Jaci Tubergen late in regulation play.
Wayne State Warriors Women’s Basketball competes as part of intercollegiate athletics at the NCAA Division II level within the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC). The team plays its home games in Detroit, Michigan (official website). Over past seasons they have qualified for several NCAA Tournaments and claimed GLIAC division titles such as those earned during the North Division championship run in 2012-13 and South Division title in 2014-15 (official website). “W the Warrior” serves as their mascot (official website).
All home games are streamed via FloSports while audio coverage for road contests is available through Warrior Sports Network.
