Loading ...The Wayne State Wildcats were on the road in both men’s and women’s basketball for some very tough conference games.
Both teams travelled to Mankato, Minnesota on Friday, Feb. 9 to play the nationally-ranked Mavericks. Minnesota State was ranked 17th in the women’s poll coming into Friday night’s game, while the men were ranked fifth nationally.
On the women’s side, the Wildcats found themselves in a large deficit early, trailing 28-7 after the first quarter, and were down 61-21 at halftime. The Wildcats fell to the Mavericks by a score of 101-57.
Among the starters, Britney Ho totaled nine points off four field goals and nabbed three rebounds. Carsyn Boswell, Brooklyn Kruse and Maya Fitzpatrick all had two points each. Boswell and Kruse each had a pair of rebounds, while Fitzpatrick and Abby Kopecky each had three.
The real star for the Wildcats was Delaney Clark, who had 24 minutes off the bench. Clark totaled 17 points, the Wildcat’s game-high, while shooting 6-9 from the field, including five three-pointers. Meg Reitz also helped off the bench, compiling three rebounds and eight points.
It was tough going for the Wildcats, as they finished with only four second-chance points, and four points in the fastbreak. WSC finished with a 40% mark shooting from the field and went 5-15 from beyond the arch.
In the men’s game against Mankato, the Wildcats kept up with the number five team in the country, heading into halftime trailing by six, 41-35. However, 24 points-off-turnovers and 34 points in the paint propelled the Mavericks past the Wildcats, handing WSC a 79-63 loss.
Alec Millender led the way for the Wildcats with 17 points and three assists. Millender also helped on the defensive side, getting five rebounds and four steals. J.J. Ferrin added 11 points of his own, by way of a trio of three-pointers and a couple of free throws. Cody McCollough and Jay Saunders each had ten points. Trey Deveaux led the team in rebounds with eight, and Elijah Watson followed closely behind with seven.
The road trip continued Saturday, Feb. 10, as the Wildcats headed into Winona, Minnesota to face the Winona Warriors. The women lost 70-59, and the men 73-65.
Maya Fitzpatrick led the Wildcats in the women’s game with 18 points. Fitzpatrick also ended with four rebounds, four steals, two assists and a block in the contest. Behind her, Boswell added another nine points and five rebounds. Kylah vanDonkersgoed also had two rebounds and eight points. The Wildcats shot 24-59 from the floor, amassing a 40.7% mark, and went 6-23 from three-point range.
In the men’s game, WSC was down by 16 at halftime and fought within eight points but were outlasted by the Warriors. Trey Deveaux was perfect shooting three-pointers, making all three of his attempts. He finished with a team-high of 23 points and a team-high of 11 rebounds. Ferrin shot 50% from the field as well as from beyond the arch, adding 15 points of his own. Millender finished with n13 points, a rebound, and three assists.
The men’s team now sits at 13-12 overall with a 6-12 record in Northern Sun Intercollegiate Conference play. They stand at 12th in the conference, holding on to the last spot to get into the conference tournament. The women’s side sits at 5-16 overall with a 2-16 record in NSIC contests.
The Wildcats will have a pair of road games this weekend as the end of the season draws ever near. Friday, Feb. 16 will see the Wildcats visit Minnesota State University Moorhead, who are ranked eighth nationally on the men’s side. Saturday, Feb. 17 WSC will face the Minnesota Crookston Golden Eagles.
