The Wayne State men’s and women’s basketball teams took care of business Saturday in Sioux Falls, as both teams picked up road wins against the University of Sioux Falls Cougars.
In women’s action, the Wildcats never trailed in the second half as they pulled away with a 67-57 win over USF, improving to 19-6 overall and 14-6 in NSIC action.
Wayne State trailed 6-2 early, but used a 12-0 run to take a 14-6 lead late in the first quarter. Sioux Falls came back and led 19-14 early in the second when the Wildcats regained the lead on a Katie Hoskins layup. The lead switched sides until Paige Ballinger and Kacie O’Connor closed the half with baskets to give Wayne State a 28-25 halftime lead.
Wayne State took control of the game in the second half and the hosts never got closer than two points. The Wildcats built a 46-38 lead after three quarters and led by as many as 15 on their way to the big win.
Anna Martensen led three Wildcats in double figures with 18 points, with Maggie Schulte adding 16 and Ballinger putting in 14. Schulte led the team with eight rebounds and Taylor Reiner had six. O’Connor had three assists and Hoskins and Haley Moore each had two steals.
In men’s action, the Wildcats overcame a slow start and pulled away late with a 80-68 win over the Cougars, improving to 9-17 overall and 7-13 in NSIC play.
The hosts built a 10-point lead midway through the first half, but the Wildcats came back with a 14-2 run, taking a 25-23 lead on JJ Zumbrennen’s 3-pointer with 8:08 to go in the half. The lead switched sides until the end of the half with Wayne State taking a 41-34 advantage.
Jacks’ 3-pointer to start the second half got the Wildcats up by 10. Sioux Falls answered with a three of their own but would get no closer as Wayne State led by as many as 16 points at 67-51 after an Austin Esters 3-pointer. Sioux Falls would get no closer than nine points after that as the Wildcats came away with the road win.
Jacks paced the Wildcats with 17 points to lead four in double figures. Jordan Cornelius added 12 points, Vance Janssen put in 11 and Brian Goodwin had 10. Cornelius and Janssen led the team in rebounds with five apiece, Janssen had five assists and Cornelius dished out four.
Wayne State’s plays their final homes games of the season this weekend, with Upper Iowa coming to town Friday for games at 6 and 8 p.m., followed by Winona State on Saturday at 4 and 6 p.m. at Rice Auditorium.
