Wayne State 87 Winona State 84

            Wayne State nearly squandered a 20-point fourth quarter lead, but held on for a 87-74 Northern Sun Conference South Division women's basketball victory Saturday evening over Winona State at Rice Auditorium in Wayne.  WSC completes the weekend home sweep with the win, now 9-11 and 6-10 in the NSIC South Division, while Winona State drops to 11-11 and 8-10 in league games.
            The Wildcats opened the game on fire from downtown, making their first four 3-pointers while finishing the quarter 6 of 9 behind the arc to take a 27-17 first quarter lead.  Junior forward Logan Hughes was 3-3 behind the arc to start the game while senior guard Kylie Hammer was 3 for 4 from downtown to get WSC off and running early.
            The torrid scoring pace continued in the second quarter with the 'Cats holding a 21-16 scoring edge while extending their lead to 48-33 over the Warriors.
            Hammer ended the first half 6 of 8 shooting and 5 of 6 from the 3-point line for 18 first half points while Hughes was 5 of 8 shooting and had 13 at the break.
            Wayne State made 8 of 10 shots in the third quarter, outscoring Winona State 24-19, and held a commanding 72-52 lead entering the final quarter.
            The 'Cats held a 22-point advantage (76-54) with 8:37 to play when the visiting Warriors stormed back.  The Warriors went on a 17-0 run over the next 4:25 and was within five at 76-71. 
            Winona State got as close as one at 83-82 with 26 seconds to play, but WSC got clutch free throws from Hughes (16.5 left) and Tate Norblade with eight seconds to play as the Wildcats held on for the 87-84 win.
            Hammer paced Wayne State with a game-high 29 points, going 10 of 15 from the field, 5 for 8 behind the arc, and a perfect 4-4 at the free throw line. 
            Hughes also had a big game for the 'Cats with a career-best 26 points, making 9 of 14 shots from the field.  She was also 5 for 8 from 3-point range and 3 of 4 at the line.
            Maya Fitzpatrick also reached double figures with 11 points.
            Wayne State ended the game shooting a season-best 58.3 percent on 28 of 48, including 12 for 22 (54.5%) behind the arc.  The 'Cats were also 19 for 21 (90%) at the charity stripe.
            Taylor Hustad scored 27 points for Winona State followed by Emily Kieck with 21.  Also hitting double digits were Caitlin Riley (12) and Mattie Schimenz (11).
            Winona State made 31 of 60 shots for 51.7 percent, going 5 of 21 from 3-point range, and 17 of 25 at the line.
            WSC held a slim 28-24 edge in rebounding over WSU with Hughes grabbing a team-high six boards.
            Junior guard Lauren Zacharias handed out a career-high nine assists in the win.
            The Wildcats will be on the road next weekend, visiting Minnesota State Friday at 5:30 p.m. and Concordia-St. Paul Saturday at 3:30 p.m.