Raiders ride five-game win streak to Purdue Fort Wayne

Sunday, December 3

Fort Wayne, IN

2 PM

Wright State University

Purdue Fort Wayne

Photo by: Joseph Craven

Raiders ride five-game win streak to Purdue Fort Wayne

12/2/2023 10:00:00 AM | Women's Basketball

DAYTON — The Wright State women's basketball program takes its five-game winning streak on the road for a Sunday afternoon matchup at Purdue Fort Wayne. The Horizon League contest will begin at 2 p.m. and stream on ESPN+. Live stats will also be available.

GAME INFORMATION
Sunday, December 3 - 2 p.m. - Watch - Live Stats - WSU Game Notes

LAST TIME OUT
Wright State opened League competition with a 79-67 victory over IUPUI to extend its winning streak to five games on Thursday night inside the Nutter Center. The Raiders had four players score in double figures, paced by Alexis Hutchison's game-leading 22 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Layne Ferrell totaled 18 points on 7-of-12 shooting and team-high marks in steals (4) and blocks (3). Lauren Scott shot 6-of-8 from the field en route to 13 points, while Kacee Baumhower added 12 points, five rebounds, three assists, and two steals. Rachel Loobie was just shy of her first collegiate double-double, as she tallied nine points and nine rebounds.

WSU led for over 34 minutes in the victory, including the entirety of the second half. The Raiders finished 42 percent (29-of-69) from the field, 46.7% (7-of-15) on 3-pointers, and 82.4% (14-of-17) at the charity stripe while also edging the Jaguars in points in the paint (38-32), points off turnovers (13-10), and fastbreak points (13-6).

HISTORY VS. PFW
The Raiders have dropped three consecutive games to Purdue Fort Wayne but still lead the all-time series 10-9. Kacee Baumhower averaged 13.0 points and 4.0 assists over two losses to the 'Dons last season. Wright State earned double-digit victories on back-to-back days at Purdue Fort Wayne during the 2020-21 campaign.

SCOUTING THE 'DONS
Purdue Fort Wayne is 5-2 overall and off to a 1-0 start in Horizon League play. The Mastodons possess Division I wins over Southern Illinois (70-64 OT), Delaware (88-74), Western Kentucky (90-77), and Oakland (84-66), while their only losses have been against Big Ten powers Michigan and Iowa.

PFW boasts one of the top offenses in the nation, holding top-25 national ranks in 3-pointers per game (3rd, 10.6), 3-point percentage (6th, 42.5), and scoring offense (23rd, 82.3). The 'Dons have netted double-digit threes in their last three games, highlighted by a 17-of-33 showing from deep against WKU. Senior guard Amellia Bromenschenkel leads the team in scoring (14.9 ppg) and rebounding (6.6 rpg). Audra Emmerson (11.1 ppg), Shayla Sellers (11.0 ppg), Jazzlyn Linbo (10.3 ppg), and Renna Schwieterman (10.1 ppg) are also averaging double-figure scoring.

HEATING UP
With a 5-2 record, Wright State is off to its best seven-game start since the 2017-18 campaign. The Raiders have started the season 6-2 or better only once in the last eight years.

WINNING STREAK
The Raiders have won five consecutive games for the first time under the direction of third-year head coach Kari Hoffman. WSU has defeated Mount Vernon Nazarene (88-64), Indiana State (72-63), Slippery Rock (82-45), Marshall (89-78), and IUPUI (79-67) in its current streak of victories. The Raiders have gone 8-3 over their last 11 games dating back to the 2022-23 season.

THE REAL DEAL
Graduate transfer guard Alexis Hutchison tops the team in scoring (16.9 ppg) and assists (3.9 apg) through seven games. Her 19 points at Southern Indiana (11/6) were the most in a Raider debut since Angel Baker's 21 points against CSU Bakersfield (11/6/18) at the start of the 2018-19 season. Hutchison recorded a season-high 10 assists in WSU's win over Marshall (11/27), the most by a Raider since Angel Baker's 11 against Detroit Mercy (1/23/20) during the 2019-20 season. The Centerville, Ohio native surpassed 1,500 collegiate points in Wright State's conference win over IUPUI (11/30).

GREAT FIRST IMPRESSION
Redshirt senior guard Layne Ferrell has stuffed the stat sheet in the first year at Wright State, as she is averaging 12.4 points, 5.4 rebounds, 1.6 assists, 2.1 steals, and 1.7 blocks per game. At Indiana State (11/18), she finished with 18 points, 14 rebounds, four steals, and three blocks. The Franklin, Ohio native totaled 18 points, four steals, and three blocks versus IUPUI (11/30) at home.

HOT SHOOTING
Wright State has three players shooting above 50% on 3-pointers through seven games. Sophomore guard Lauren Scott leads the team with a 58.8% (10-for-17) mark from beyond the arc. She netted a trio of 3-pointers versus Mount Vernon Nazarene (11/14) and Slippery Rock (11/20). Graduate forward Cara VanKempen is hitting threes at a 55% (11-for-20) clip, highlighted by a 4-for-5 showing at Michigan State (11/12) on her way to a team-leading 16 points. Redshirt senior guard Layne Ferrell has gone 50% (11-for-22) from deep, sinking multiple threes in three of her last four games.

SHOOTERS SHOOT
Wright State ranks 26th nationally and second in the Horizon League in 3-point makes per game (8.9). The Raiders have knocked down double-digit threes against Southern Indiana (11/6), Mount Vernon Nazarene (11/14), and Slippery Rock (11/20). WSU is shooting 42.2% (46-for-109) from deep over its last five games.

A season ago, Wright State was one of the nation's most prolific long-distance shooting teams, ranking second nationally in 3-point makes per game (10.1) and 22nd in 3-point percentage (.364). Wright State netted a school record 323 threes while also shattering a single-game school record with 18 3-pointers versus Cleveland State (1/20/23).

BOUNCED BACK
Sophomore guard Lauren Scott opened the 2023-24 season with back-to-back scoreless performances but has averaged 11.2 points on 67.7% shooting over her last five games. She erupted for a career-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting in Wright State's 88-64 win over Mount Vernon Nazarene (11/14).

GOOD TIMES AT THE NUTTER CENTER
The Raiders are off to a 4-0 start at home for the eighth time in school history. Wright State last achieved the feat in 2017.

VETERAN PRESENCE
Wright State's four upperclassmen transfers bring a wealth of experience to the Raiders with a combined 384 games of collegiate basketball, including 299 starts.

Jada Tate » 112 games (92 starts) over four seasons at Division II Tiffin
Alexis Hutchison » 108 games (103 starts) over four seasons at Division II Malone
Julia Hoefling » 84 games (41 starts) over four seasons at Loyola Chicago
Layne Ferrell » 80 games (63 starts) over three seasons at Akron

1K CLUB
Jada Tate scored eight points against Mount Vernon Nazarene (11/14), surpassing 1,000 points in her collegiate career. The Pickerington, Ohio native joined the Raiders after spending four seasons at Tiffin, where she compiled 991 points over 112 games (92 starts).

CAREER MARKS
Senior forward Rachel Loobie finished with career-high marks in steals (5), assists (3), blocks (2), and minutes played (24) against Southern Indiana (11/6). She scored a career-high 16 points versus Slippery Rock (11/20) while pulling down a career-best nine rebounds versus IUPUI (11/30). The Indianapolis native currently leads the Raiders with 6.7 rebounds per game.

MILESTONE WATCH
Alexis Hutchison is nearing 200 steals (currently at 194 steals) in her collegiate career. The guard spent her first four seasons at Malone University, where she was a two-time NCCAA Division I All-Midwest Region selection and a Third Team NCCAA All-American in 2023. Julia Hoefling has compiled 89 career blocks over 88 collegiate games.

FAMILY HOOPS TREE
Graduate forward Jada Tate has three siblings with Division I college basketball experience, including her older brother Jae'Sean, who played at Ohio State from 2014-2018 and is in his fourth year as an NBA forward for the Houston Rockets. Her brother Jalen was a four-year starter at Northern Kentucky (2016-2020) before spending the 2020-21 season at Arkansas. Her sister Jocelyn is currently a junior guard at Michigan State. Tate's father, Jermaine, played college basketball for Ohio State and Cincinnati before embarking on a 13-year professional career.

BASKETBALL RUNS IN THE FAMILY
Sophomore guard Lauren Scott is the granddaughter of Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame coach Gary Williams, who led the Maryland men's basketball program to its first-ever NCAA Tournament Championship in 2002. He also served as head coach for American (1978- 82), Boston College (1982-86), and Ohio State (1986-89). Currently, he is Maryland's Senior Managing Director for Alumni Relations and Athletic Development.

BUILT IN OHIO
Six of WSU's seven total newcomers played high school basketball in Ohio, including four from the Greater Dayton area. In total, 11 individuals on Wright State's 15-player roster are from Ohio.

GET YOUR TICKETS
Single-game tickets for Raider women's basketball are on sale through WSURaiders.com or by contacting the ticket office at (937) 775-4936, starting as low as $5 with general admission seating throughout the arena.

MOBILE TICKETING
Wright State has launched the Wright State Raiders app, allowing fans to stay up to date on Raider women's basketball. Fans are encouraged to use the Wright State Raiders app as the primary method for managing their digital tickets, which are required for entry to all WSU basketball events. Tickets for the 2023-24 basketball seasons are now uploaded and accessible on all purchaser accounts. Fans can easily view their tickets, download them to their mobile wallet, or transfer them to another individual account.

UP NEXT
Wright State returns to non-conference play for a home meeting versus Eastern Illinois on Saturday, December 9. The game will tipoff at 4 p.m. and stream on ESPN+.