The Wayne State women’s basketball team held on for a 58-50 win over University of Sioux Falls, while the Wildcat men dropped a 64-58 decision to the USF Cougars in action Friday at Rice Auditorium.
In the women’s game, the Wildcats forced 28 turnovers and scored 28 points off Lady Cougar miscues to improve to 9-3 overall and 4-3 in NSIC play.
Wayne State raced to a 14-5 lead after one period and got a late 3-pointer by Katie Hoskins to help them to a 26-16 halftime advantage.
Wayne State led by as many as 23 points in the third quarter, but the Lady Cougars rallied and got the deficit down to 12 going to the final period. Sioux Falls got as close as three points before Maggie
Schulte stopped the rally with a pair of free throws, and she and Paige Ballinger hit late free throws to help seal the win.
Ballinger scored a game-high 17 points for the Wildcats while Kacie O’Connor added 12 points.
In the men’s game, the two teams battled close throughout much of the first half. Wayne State led 12-9 early in the game after a layup by Kendall Jacks, but the Cougars went on a 9-0 run to take a 17-13 advantage midway through the half.
Wayne State cut a seven-point deficit down to one on a JJ Zumbrennen layup going to intermission and tied the score at 32-32 early in the second half of a layup by Jacks. Sioux Falls came back and used a 12-0 run to take over the game. Wayne State got as close as four down the stretch, but the Cougars held on for the win.
Vance Janssen led the Wildcats with 15 points while Jacks added 11 as Wayne State fell to 4-9 overall and 2-5 in NSIC play.
Both Wayne State teams are back in action Saturday as they host Southwest Minnesota State. The women’s game is at 4 p.m. and the men’s game is at 6 p.m.
