The Wright State Raiders women’s basketball team (2-10, 0-3 Horizon) will look to end 2024 on a winning note and desperately try to end a 7-game losing streak at home as they host the Purdue-Fort Wayne Mastodons (8-5, 3-0 Horizon) on Saturday, December 28 at 2ET/1CT at the Nutter Center.
Last time out: Before the Christmas holiday, Kari Hoffman’s crew went out to Phoenix to take part in a 4-day, 3-game event called the GCU Have Fayth Christmas Classic and lost all 3 of their games, including a 68-52 defeat against the Florida Atlantic Owls. Amaya Staton was the only Raider in double-figure scoring with 10 points plus 8 rebounds and a block, freshman Florrie Cotterill recorded a career-high 8 points off the bench in 12 minutes of action, 7 points and 8 rebounds for Claire Henson, and 7 points and 6 rebounds for Makiya Miller. The Raiders were on fire from the foul line at 90.9 percent (10-of-11), but they shot a poor 31.7 percent from the field (20-of-63) and an abysmal 11.1 percent from 3-land (2-of-18).
Florida Atlantic was led by Jada Moore, who led all scorers with 20 points (8-of-15 FG), 7 rebounds, 4 assists and a pair of steals. Mya Perry, Miller’s high school teammate, finished with 19 points (8-of-17 FG) and a pair of blocked shots. Cincinnati transfer Ta’Ziah Jenks recorded 9 points and 8 rebounds, while Georgia transfer Stefanie Ingram almost ended up with a triple-double: 7 points, 6 rebounds, and 5 assists.
About the opponent: Last season, the Mastodons finished last season in 3rd place in the Horizon League, winning 13 of their 20 conference. They also went 23-13 overall and lost to eventual WNIT Champion Saint Louis in the 3rd Round of that same tournament. Those 23 wins are tied for the most wins in school history on any NCAA level and their first season of 20+ wins since 2010-11.
This season, they were picked again to finish 3rd in the Horizon League preseason polls. But so far, Purdue-Fort Wayne has won 8 of their first 13 games of the 2024-25 season and are currently tied for 1st place with Cleveland State atop the Horizon League standings.
Most of PFW’s talent from last season have returned including Horizon League All-1st Team Amellia Bromenschenkel, as well as Audra Emmerson, Sydney Graber, Jazzlyn Linbo, and Renna Schwieterman – who made last season’s All-Horizon League Freshman Team. Out of their 14-player roster, 8 of them are either seniors or grad students and 6 of them are transfers.
One of those 6 transfers is their best player is the sharpshooting Lauren Ross, who came in from from Michigan State. A native of Muskegon, MI, Ross begun her NCAA career at Western Michigan where she was the Broncos’ leading scorer as a redshirt sophomore at 17.7 points per game in 2022-23. So far this season, Ross is the only Mastodon averaging double-figure scoring at 19.2 per game (2nd in the Horizon) and has also proven to be one of the best shooters in the country, ranking 3rd in the NCAA in 3-point percentage (52.2%) and 10th in free-throw percentage (92.9%). Ross is also tied with Wright State’s Macie Taylor and Olivia Brown for 10th in the Horizon League with 17 steals each.
Another transfer of note is Sydney Freeman, a grad transfer from the University of Dayton and a native of Albion, IN – which is 43 minutes in driving distance northwest of Fort Wayne. Freeman averaged 11.4 points per game in her lone campaign with the Flyers in 2022-23 and wasn’t at any school all of last season. Freeman started her NCAA career at Ball State, where she averaged 11.2 points per contest in her 3 seasons with the Cardinals and made the 2020-21 Mid-American Conference All-Freshman Team. As a Mastodon so far, Freeman ranks 2nd in the Horizon League in steals (29) and is also tied for 2nd in steals per game (2.2).
As a unit this season, the Mastodons are ranked 12th in the country in three-pointers made per game (10.1), 14th in three-point percentage (38.4%), 33rd in total points per game (79.5), and 44th in free-throw percentage (75.7%) all through their first 13 games.
Purdue Fort Wayne head coach profile: Fourth-year head coach Maria Marchesano (mar-kuh-SAH-no) turned this program around for the better and is already the 4th-winningest coach in program history (54). She started her coaching career on the NCAA Division III Manchester College, where she was an assistant for both basketball and softball. Later on, she started her head coaching career at the NCAA Division II level with Urbana University (2011-13) and Walsh University (2013-16) before spending the 2016-17 season as an Associate Head Coach for WNIT-bound IUPUI when they were in the Summit League. Marchesano’s last stop before PFW was at Mount St. Mary’s (2017-21), where she was the 2020-21 Northeast Conference Coach of the Year and – that same season – led them to their first NCAA Tournament appearance since 1995. A student-athlete at Butler University in the early 2000s, Marchesano played 4 years of basketball and another year of softball.
Wright State women’s starting lineup – individual stats per game
• Amaya Staton, F (6-1, Gr., Merrimack transfer) – 10 ppg, 7.4 rpg (2nd in Horizon), spg, 77.3% FT (3rd in Horizon); tied for 11th in the NCAA in personal fouls (44)
• Claire Henson, G (5-10, Jr.) – 10.4 ppg, 6.1 rpg, spg, 34.4% 3-PT; 2nd in the Horizon League in free throws made (46), 3rd in free throws attempted (68), tied for 3rd in turnovers (39), and tied for 9th in total assists (31)
• Makiya Miller, G (5-7, Jr.) – 7.8 ppg, 1.1 spg
• Lauren Scott, G (5-7, Jr.) — 7.7 ppg, 25.6 mpg in 9 games (7 starts)
• Macie Taylor, G (5-7, R-Soph.) – 8.4 ppg, 2.2 apg, 1.3 spg, 73.9% FT (17-of-23)
Wright State women’s rotation players — individual stats per game
• Olivia Brown, G (5-7, R-Soph., Akron transfer) – 3 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 1.3 spg, started 6 of 13 games when Scott was out with a knee injury; ranks 5th in the Horizon League in assists (43 total assists, 3.3 apg)
• Chloe Chard Peloquin, C (6-3, Jr., Canisius transfer) – 5.8 ppg, 3.9 rpg, 0.8 bpg
• Rylee Sagester, G (5-7, R-Fr.) – 7.3 ppg, 41% 3-PT; 7th in the Horizon League in 3-pointers made (25) and tied for 7th in 3-pointers attempted (61)
• Ellie Magestro-Kennedy, G (5-7, R-Fr.) – 6.2 ppg, 34% 3-PT; missed one game due to an illness
• Abbie Riddle, G (5-10, R-Fr., Bowling Green transfer) – 2.6 ppg, 1.8 rpg, 12.7 mpg; played in only 6 games due to knee injuries
• Florrie Cotterill, F (6-2, Fr.) – 1.6 ppg, 0.8 rpg; played in 11 games
Rest of the Wright State women’s roster: https://wsuraiders.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster
Purdue-Fort Wayne starting lineup — individual stats per game
• Jazzlyn Linbo, F (6-2, Sr.) – 6.8 ppg, 4.6 rpg, 1.1 bpg, 72.4% FT (21-of-29); played and started in 12 of 13 games
• Amellia Bromenschenkel, G (5-11, Gr.) – 9.9 ppg, 6.2 rpg (7th in Horizon), 1.7 spg (T-6th in Horizon), 86.7% FT (26-of-30); leads the Horizon League in minutes per game (32.6), tied for 4th in steals (22), and tied for 6th in total win shares (1.6)
• Lauren Ross, G (5-10, R-Sr., Michigan State transfer) – 19.2 ppg, 92.9% FT (52-of-56), 52.2% 3-PT (47-of-90)
• Sydney Freeman, G (5-8, Gr., Dayton transfer) – 9.8 ppg, 2.2 rpg, 2.7 apg, 2.2 spg
• Audra Emmerson, G (5-7, Sr.) – 7.8 ppg, 3.1 rpg, spg
Purdue-Fort Wayne rotation players — individual stats per game
• Renna Schwieterman, F (6-0, Soph.) – 5.5 ppg, 2.5 rpg, 1.2 apg
• Jordan Reid, F (5-10, Gr., NAIA Indiana Wesleyan transfer) – 5.4 ppg, 2.6 rpg, 0.7 spg
• Taeya Steinauer, G (5-11, Fr.) – 5.4 ppg, 1.2 spg
• Tia Morgan, G (5-8, 5th-year) – 5.3 ppg, 0.7 spg, 81% FT (17-of-21); played in 12 games
• Sydney Graber, F (6-1, Soph.) – 3.4 ppg, 1.9 rpg; played in 12 games (one start)
Rest of Purdue-Fort Wayne’s roster: https://gomastodons.com/sports/womens-basketball/roster
