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 Joy Nash had a team-high 17 points along with four assists against Northwood. |
Dec. 6, 2007
The Wayne State University women's basketball team (3-2 overall, 0-1 GLIAC) dropped its conference opener, 75-73, to visiting Northwood University (5-2 overall, 2-1 GLIAC) Thursday evening at the Matthaei in Detroit.
WSU's last lead was 67-66 with 4:58 remaining on a free throw by junior Jasmine McCall (Detroit, Mich./CMA). The visiting Timberwolves went ahead on a lay-up by Megan Starnes and built up a four-point advantage, until the Warriors answered with four consecutive free throws, two each by McCall and junior Joy Nash (Muskegon, Mich.) to knot the game at 71 with 3:48 left.
Two free throws by Starnes at the 2:46 mark were answered by a lay-up from McCall with 1:29 remaining tying the score at 73. Each team had a turnover followed by a missed field goal attempt on each side in the final 50 seconds. Northwood ran the clock down and Jodi Ostergren was fouled with four seconds left and sank both foul shots for the margin of victory.
The first half was a see-saw affair as the lead changed 13 times plus there were two ties.
The biggest lead of the opening 20 minutes was nine (twice by Northwood at 12-3 and 14-5) with final nine-point advantage coming just 3:39 into the game. WSU had a 15-3 run over the next 7:30 for a 20-17 lead which included six points from junior Monique George (Detroit, Mich./Cass Tech) and five by sophomore Brooke Bowers (Delphos, Ohio/Jefferson). The Timberwolves got back-to-back buckets by Ostergren to regain the lead at 21-20.
The visitors had a 29-25 lead with 4:39 remaining following a conventional three-point play by Corrie Brown but Wayne State scored five straight including a triple by Nash for a 30-29 lead. Northwood rallied for seven of the next nine points including five straight by Lisa Collison for another four point lead at 36-32.
Chastidy Miller (White Lake, Mich./Waterford Kettering) scored the game's next five points, but Ostergren scored just before the end of the half giving the visitors a 38-37 lead at intermission, a basket which would prove beneficial at the end of the game for the Timberwolves.
Nash scored a season-high 17 points to lead five WSU players in double figures. Warrior senior Nicole Rogers (Lansing, Mich./Everett) had a game-best 12 rebounds. Ostergren led four Northwood players in double figures with a game-high 18 points.
Wayne State's home stand continues on Saturday with a 1 p.m. start for a conference game against Ashland.
