2016-17 Wayne State Wildcats Thread

[wscsuperfan]

Re: 2016-17 Wayne State Wildcats Thread

Wildcat women complete weekend sweep with win over UMC
www.wscwildcats.com

Wayne State College used a 36-24 advantage on points in the paint as the Wildcats completed an NSIC home sweep with a 67-60 win over Minnesota Crookston Saturday evening in Northern Sun Conference women's basketball played at Rice Auditorium in Wayne. The Wildcats are now 17-6 and 12-6 in the NSIC while UMC drops to 6-16 and 6-12 in league games.

Wayne State never trailed in the contest, but each time the Wildcats built a lead and seemed poised to put the game out of reach the Golden Eagles always made a charge before falling short.

The 'Cats took an early 11-4 lead. After UMC got within two at 11-9, WSC ended the quarter strong with a 17-9 lead.

WSC shot just 3 of 13 (23%) in the second quarter while UMC went 7 for 14 (50%) as the Wildcats finished the first half with a 28-27 lead at intermission.

Maggie Schulte scored seven straight points for the 'Cats early in the third quarter as WSC took a 37-29 lead, but again the Golden Eagles rallied and got as close as one at 39-38 before the Wildcats ended the quarter with six straight points for a 45-38 lead.

A layup by Paige Ballinger to open the fourth quarter gave WSC its biggest lead of the game at 47-38. The Golden Eagles cut the deficit to two at 59-57 following a Alison Hughes 3-pointer with 2:50 remaining.

WSC scored the next two baskets (Ballinger and Schulte) to go back in front by six at 63-57 and the 'Cats used a layup by Martensen and two Ballinger free throws to clinch the 67-60 victory.

Wayne State was 24 of 61 shooting in the contest for 39.3 percent, going 5 of 12 from the 3-point line and 14 for 19 at the free throw line.

Schulte led the 'Cats with 17 points followed by Ballinger with 16 and Martensen 12.

Minnesota Crookston was 23 of 64 from the field for 35.9 percent. UMC was 8 of 21 behind the arc and 6 for 10 at the charity stripe.

Emily Gruber scored a game-high 23 points for the Golden Eagles with Kelsey Stinson and Alison Hughes also reaching double digits with 12 apiece.

WSC had one more rebound than UMC 41-40. Martensen had nine for the 'Cats followed by Schulte with eight.

Senior guard Haley Moore had five assists while Ballinger had five of Wayne State's six blocks.

Wayne State will be on the road next weekend, visiting Southwest Minnesota State Friday night at 6 p.m. and the University of Sioux Falls Saturday at 4 p.m.

[wscsuperfan]

Re: 2016-17 Wayne State Wildcats Thread

Ballinger scores game-high 22 points and hits 1,000-point mark in Wayne State's 85-61 NSIC Tournament win over Bemidji State
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Wayne State College junior center Paige Ballinger scored a game-high 22 points that included her 1,000th-career point to lead the Wildcats in a 85-61 win over Bemidji State Wednesday evening in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament at Rice Auditorium in Wayne. The Wildcats improve to 22-6 on the season while Bemidji State ends the year with a record of 7-20.

The Wildcats trailed early in the game 8-6, but went on a 14-1 run over the next 3:07 to take a 20-9 lead with 4:06 to play in the first quarter. The 'Cats used a running 3-pointer by sophomore guard Maggie Lowe as the first quarter ended to give the Wildcats a 27-13 lead.

Wayne State used strong shooting in the second quarter to maintain a double digit lead as the Wildcats sank 8 of 13 shots in the quarter (61.5%) to put the Wildcats in front 46-26 advantage at intermission.

A highlight in the second quarter for WSC was Ballinger scoring her 1,000th point on a free throw at the 5:50 mark of the quarter that gave the Wildcats a 30-17 lead.

WSC maintained a lead of around 20 points in the third quarter, outscoring Bemidji State 14-13 to enjoy a 60-39 lead after three quarters.

Wildcat reserves played a majority of the fourth quarter as Wayne State produced 25 points in the fourth quarter to finish with the 85-61 win.

Wayne State finished the game making 30-of-55 shots for 54.5 percent. The 'Cats were 6-of-16 from the 3-point line and 19-of-26 at the charity stripe (73.1%).

Ballinger led four Wildcats in double figures with 22 points, including her 1,000th point. The Pender, Nebraska graduate now has 1,015 points in her Wildcat career. Senior forward Anna Martensen added 21 points on 8-of-11 shooting from the field while Kacie O'Connor and Maggie Schulte also hit double figures with 15 and 13 points, respectively.

Bemidji State as 19-of-57 shooting for 33.3 percent, going 5-of-20 behind the arc and 18-of-22 at the free throw line.

Sierra Senske poured in 14 points to head the Beavers in scoring while Tatum Sheley and Sydney Arrington accounted for 11 and 10 points for BSU.

BSU held a 35-33 edge in rebounding over Wayne State. Martensen hauled in nine rebounds for WSC while Senske grabbed seven boards for the Beavers. The Wildcats held a 46-26 advantage in points in the paint. WSC forced 16 turnovers in the game while WSC had 12.

Kacie O'Connor handed out six of Wayne State's 20 assists while Martensen and Ballinger each had three steals. Ballinger also had six blocked shots in the game and moved into second place on the all-time blocks list with 137, moving past Jodi Otjen's 135 blocks from 1990-94.

Wayne State advances to the NSIC/Sanford Health Tournament Quarterfinals on Saturday at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota as the Wildcats face Minnesota-Duluth in a 2:30 p.m. contest.

[wscsuperfan]

Re: 2016-17 Wayne State Wildcats Thread

Big second half powers St. Cloud State past Wildcats in NSIC Tournament opener
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Despite a career-high 31 points from Wayne State College sophomore forward Kendall Jacks, St. Cloud State outscored the Wildcats 57-38 in the second half to defeat the Wildcats 92-78 in the opening round of the NSIC/Sanford Health Men's Basketball Tournament at Halenbeck Hall in St. Cloud, Minnesota. SCSU improves to 19-13 on the year while WSC ends the season at 10-19.

After trailing early 10-6, WSC went on a 13-0 run over a span of 4:03 to take a 19-10 lead. The Huskies battled back and got within three several times, but the 'Cats went on another scoring surge and pushed the lead to double digits for the first time.

With WSC leading 25-22 at the 5:24 mark of the first half, the 'Cats used a 15-6 run to take a 40-28 lead with 1:27 to go in the first half following a Jordan Cornelius layup. The Huskies then scored the final seven points of the half to cut the Wildcat lead to 40-35 at intermission.

WSC held the lead for the first part of the second half, but the Wildcats could not overcome torrid shooting by St. Cloud State as the Huskies made 20 of 30 shots in the second half (66.7%) to outscore the Wildcats 57-38 and rally for the 92-78 win.

The Wildcats held a pair of nine point leads in the second half with the last one coming at 50-41 with 16:03 to play.

Wayne State's last lead was 55-52 with 11:55 to play. A Scottie Stone 3-pointer tied the score at 55-55 and another Stone basket gave the Huskies the lead for good at 57-55.

WSC closed to within one at 64-63 on a Kendall Jacks layup with 6:53 remaining. But SCSU then made five straight shots and slowly pulled away and pushed the lead to double figures for the first time at 77-67 with 3:38 to go and finished with the 92-78 win.

Wayne State made 31-of-61 shots from the field for 50.8 percent. The 'Cats were 8-of-18 from the 3-point line and 8-of-12 at the charity stripe.

Jacks led all scorers with 31 points, going 12-of-20 from the field and 5-for-8 at the free throw line. Matt Thomas also hit double figures with 17 points while Austin Esters scored 10.

St. Cloud State was 31-of-60 from the field, shooting 51.7 percent but made 20-of-30 shots (66.7%) in the second half. The Huskies were 7-of-21 from the 3-point line and 23-of-25 at the foul line.

Jon Averkamp and Mark Hall each score 19 points for the Huskies. Scottie Stone added 18, Gave Davis had 14, Andy Foley 12 and Brindley Theisen 10.

St. Cloud State held a 36-25 advantage in rebounding on the Wildcats thanks to 11 boards by Foley while Brian Goodwin led WSC on the glass with five. Vance Janssen had six of Wayne State's 14 assists in the game. Both teams had 13 turnovers.

[wscsuperfan]

Re: 2016-17 Wayne State Wildcats Thread

Wildcats build big first-half lead, then hold on late for 80-66 win over Minnesota-Duluth in NSIC Women's Basketball Tournament Quarterfinals
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Wayne State College built a 23-point halftime lead, then held off a Minnesota-Duluth second-half rally that saw the Bulldogs get within six points with 3:30 remaining, before the Wildcats finished with an 80-66 win in the quarterfinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. WSC is now 23-6 on the season and advances to Monday's 12 p.m. semifinal against Sioux Falls (54-45 winner over #1 seed MSU-Moorhead) while Minnesota-Duluth ends the year at 14-14.

The Wildcats were in control early, leading to a dominant first quarter against the Bulldogs. Junior guard Kacie O'Connor had the hot hand early for WSC, converting a 3-point play that put the 'Cats ahead 10-2 three minutes into the contest. O'Connor later added a 3-pointer that gave WSC its first double-digit lead of the game at 15-5 with 4:40 to play in the first quarter.

Junior center Paige Ballinger then carried the scoring load for WSC, scoring eight of the next 10 points for the Wildcats over a span of 2:13 than put the 'Cats in front 27-9 before finishing the quarter with a 29-9 lead. WSC ended the first quarter making 11-of-15 shots (73%) while holding a commanding 20-2 advantage on points in the paint.

UMD made a 3-pointer to open the second quarter (29-12) and that's as close as the Bulldogs would get to the Wildcats in the first half. WSC took its biggest lead of the first half at 25 points (41-16) on a Maggie Schulte jumper at the 5:14 mark of the second quarter and took another 25-point lead at 48-23 following a Katie Hoskins 3-pointer with 54 seconds left before halftime as WSC finished the first half with a sizeable 49-26 lead.

Wayne State went cold from the field in the third quarter, allowing Minnesota-Duluth to get back into the game. The Bulldogs outscored the Wildcats 20-11 in the quarter as the Wildcats made just 3-of-12 shots allowing UMD to get within 60-46 entering the fourth quarter.

The Bulldogs continued their momentum in the fourth quarter and got as close as six points at 70-64 on a Emma Boehm layup with 3:26 to play. WSC then scored the next 10 points over a span of 2:30 to push the lead to 80-64 and end any chance of a Bulldog comeback as the Wildcats finished with the 80-66 victory.

Wayne State finished the game making 27-of-56 shots from the field for 48.2 percent. After going 18-of-30 in the first half (60%), the 'Cats were just 9-of-26 (34.6%) in the second half. The 'Cats were 4-of-11 from the 3-point line and 22-of-26 (84.6%) at the charity stripe.

Paige Ballinger led WSC in scoring with 22 points, 18 coming in the first half. Junior forward Maggie Schulte followed with 18 points (14 in the second half). Also reaching double figures for WSC were Anna Martensen with 13 points and Katie Hoskins with 11 off the bench.

Minnesota-Duluth made 24-of-60 shots in the contest for 40 percent shooting, and went 8-of-17 behind the arc and 10-of-13 at the foul line.

Emma Boehm led UMD with 20 points off the bench followed by Taylor Meyer with 15.

WSC won the rebounding battle 38-29 thanks to eight caroms by Martensen and seven each from Ballinger and Schulte while Meyer had eight boards for the Bulldogs.

The Wildcats held a commanding 46-22 edge on points in the paint, but UMD's bench produced 37 points to just 13 for the Wildcats. Both teams had nine turnovers.

Wayne State will now play in the semifinals of the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament against the University of Sioux Falls on Monday, February 27 at 12:00 p.m. at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota.

[wscsuperfan]

Re: 2016-17 Wayne State Wildcats Thread

Sioux Falls rally in fourth quarter hands WSC 58-49 defeat in NSIC Women's BB Tournament Semifinals
www.wscwildcats.com

Sioux Falls outscored Wayne State College 21-9 in the fourth quarter to pull away late for a 58-49 win over the Wildcats in the NSIC/Sanford Health Women's Basketball Tournament semifinals played Monday afternoon at the Sanford Pentagon in Sioux Falls, South Dakota. The Wildcats end the season at 23-7 while the Cougars advance to the NSIC Tournament championship game Tuesday at 5 p.m. with a 22-7 mark.

The Wildcats started slow in the contest, making just 1-of-7 from the field to start the game and trailed 7-2 early. WSC used a Kacie O'Connor 3-pointer to tie the score at 7-7 at the 4:55 mark and later took its first lead of the game at 12-11 on a Paige Ballinger three-point play with 2:13 to go in the quarter.

WSC ended the first stanza with a 14-13 lead as Ballinger made 4-of-6 shots for nine first quarter points while the rest of the team was 2-of-11 shooting in the quarter.

The second quarter saw both defenses continue to control play. The 'Cats used back-to-back baskets from senior forward Anna Martensen with the second one turning into a three-point play as WSC took its biggest lead of the first half at 23-19 with 4:18 to go before halftime.

USF battled back and tied the score at 23-23 with 2:24 to go in the second quarter, but WSC scored the last three points of the half thanks to senior forward Katie Hoskins going 3-of-4 at the foul line to give the Wildcats a 26-23 advantage at intermission.

The 'Cats built a pair of five-point leads in the third quarter at 31-26 and 33-28, but the Cougars scored seven straight points and took a 35-33 lead on a three-point play by Madi Robson with 3:26 left in the third quarter.

WSC came through with a Ballinger layup, one free throw by Kacie O'Connor and a Hoskins 3-pointer to regain the lead at 39-35 at the 1:09 mark before finishing the third quarter with a 40-37 lead.

The fourth quarter was dominated by the Cougars as USF made 7-of-13 shots from the field while WSC went cold, making just 4-of-16 shots as Sioux Falls put an end to Wayne State's season.

The two teams traded baskets early in the fourth quarter, but the turning point came when WSC went 4:45 without a point as the Cougars scored seven straight points to take control of the game.

Martensen made a layup at the 7:40 mark to even the score at 44-44, but the Cougars scored the next seven points and WSC never scored again until a Maggie Schulte jumper with 2:56 left that got WSC within five at 51-46. That's as close as WSC would get the rest of the way as the Cougars finished with the 58-49 win.

Wayne State made just 18-of-57 shots in the game for 31.6 percent. The 'Cats were 2-of-12 behind the arc and 11-of-14 at the foul line.

Paige Ballinger led WSC in scoring with 20 points while Anna Martensen ended her Wildcat career with a 15-point performance.

Sioux Falls finished the game making 22-of-59 shots for 37.3 percent, going 3-of-14 behind the 3-point line and 11-of-16 at the foul line.

Senior center Sam Knecht paced the Cougars with a game-high 26 points. Kaely Hummel and Madi Robson each hit double figures with 12 and 11 respectively for USF.

Sioux Falls won the rebounding battle over WSC 41-35 with Jacey Huinker grabbing nine for the Cougars while Martensen had eight boards for the Wildcats. USF held a 38-28 edge on points in the paint over the Wildcats. Both teams had 10 turnovers in the game.

Wayne State ends the season with a 23-7 record. Three seniors played their final game in a Wildcat uniform: Anna Martensen, Haley Moore and Katie Hoskins.