Wayne State College

            Wayne State jumped out to a 19-4 first quarter lead and used four players scoring in double figures to defeat Upper Iowa 63-45 Monday evening in the 2026-27 women's college basketball season opener for both teams.
            The Wildcats jumped out of the gate quickly, taking a 12-2 lead at the 4:38 mark of the opening quarter following an Abby Aslesen 3-pointer.  WSC was in front 19-4 and ended the quarter with a 19-7 lead as seven different Wildcats scored points in the opening stanza making 8 of 13 shots for 61.5 percent.
            The second quarter saw the Wildcats continue to build on the lead, outscoring the Peacocks 13-2 to take a 32-11 lead following a pair of Macy Birkholz free throws with 5:57 to play in the half.  WSC took a 24-point led at 41-17 with just over one minute to play in the half and finished with a 41-20 advantage at intermission.
            Birkholz scored eight points in the quarter without missing a shot, going 2 for 2 from the 3-point line while also making a pair of free throws, while Aslesen also recorded eight points in the quarter.
            Both teams struggled shooting the ball in the third quarter as WSC hit just 5 of 19 shots while holding Upper Iowa to 3 of 14.  Wayne State held an 11-6 edge in scoring and was in front 52-26 after three quarters.
            Wayne State saw 14 players see the court in the final quarter as Upper Iowa made 7 of 13 shots in the quarter to out-score the Wildcats 19-11 as WSC closed with a 63-45 victory.
            Aslesen was one of four Wayne State players to reach double figures scoring 13 points for the Wildcats.  Birkholz ended with 12 while Kruse and Emma Frost each scored 10 points.
            Wayne State made 26 of 66 shots for 39.4 percent, including 6-24 from the 3-point line and 5 for 10 at the charity stripe.
            For Upper Iowa, Kendyl Lodermeier was the lone double-digit scorer with a game-high 17 points.
            The Peacocks connected on 17 of 48 shots from the field for 35.4 percent.  UIU was 3-16 behind the arc and 8 for 21 at the charity stripe.
            WSC held a 40-35 edge in rebounding on the Peacocks as Kruse hauled in six boards.  She also had two of Wayne State's four blocked shots in the contest. 
            Frost had three assists and two steals while Sophia Hope and Courtney Franck also had two steals. 
            The Wildcats resume play on Friday, November 20^th facing Pittsburg State in the Central Region Showcase at St. Joseph, Missouri starting at 5 p.m.