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Lady Raiders look to Cement Second Place SaturdayBy Kevin SmithThe Lady Raiders (10-5/13-13) took over sole possession of second place in the Horizon League Thursday night. Now they look to hold onto that place on Saturday when they host UIC (5-10/9-17) at 1pm in the Nutter Center.
February 29, 2008
The Wright State women defeated Loyola (4-11HL) on Thursday 64-57 in front of a crowd that included WNBA Indiana Fever player Alison Bales from Beavercreek. At the same time Cleveland State lost to Valparaiso, relinquishing sole possession of second place to Wright State. The Lady Raiders now have CSU and UW-Milwaukee right behind them at 9-6 in league play. The Lady Raiders are having one of their best seasons in several years. They are on track to beat the 11-5 HL play from 2004/5 season. Before that the last time the Lady Raiders went 10 or more wins in "league play" was the 10-18 record in 1988/89 and 1987/88 when they finished 17-11. However both of those years they were not in a conference. So this could be their best conference record ever. WSU will host UIC Saturday at 1pm. The Raiders lost at UIC in January, 63-60. Wright State has continued to improve since then. They continue to develop and play as a team and can get that next win to make history. The Lady Raiders have developed the outside shooting game this year. However, on Thursday when the three-point shooting was cold (3-14), two Freshmen stepped up and took it to the hoop. LaShawna Thomas (Columbus OH/Eastmoor Academy) and Sheylani "Shey" Peddy (Boston MA/Melrose) showed why they were recruited by Coach Williams. Senior Whitney Lewis made six points and three rebounds. Lewis also had two steals and a blocked shot. She was ranked #1 for three point FG percentage in the nation. However, last night she could only manage 1-6 from beyond the arc. So the game depended on others to get hot and Thomas and Peddy accepted the challenge. Thomas sank a career high 24 points, grabbed three boards, one steal and an assist. Peddy, the team's high scorer (15.3ppg) sank 21 points, with three rebounds, three steals (on her average) and six assists. The Lady Raiders have ensured they will host a second round HL Tournament game. That will be on Weds March 12th. The number 1 through 4 seeds all host a game on that night. If the Lady Raiders, with three games left, can hold onto second place, they will play against the winner of the number 7 and 10 game, currently that is Butler vs. Detroit. UIC will find an improved Lady Raider team anxious for more wins. As one of the seniors said last night, the camaraderie on the team is great. The ability for the players to work together is put them on a four game winning streak precisely at the right time. After Saturday's game, The Lady Raiders go on the road to Wisconsin. Regular Season Champions, Green Bay (14-1) will be next Thursday and the season will finish in Milwaukee (9-6) next Saturday. Saturday at 1pm come to the Nutter Center and watch the Lady Raiders take on the UIC Flames. |
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