DAYTON — The Wright State women’s basketball goes back on the road to face Indiana State in a 1 p.m. tipoff on Saturday afternoon. The non-conference matchup will air on ESPN+, while live stats will also be available.
GAME INFORMATION
Saturday, November 18- 1 p.m. – Watch – Live Stats – WSU Game Notes
LAST TIME OUT
The Raiders are coming off an 88-64 victory over Mount Vernon Nazarene in their home opener on Tuesday. Wright State had four players score in double figures, led by Kacee Baumhower’s game-best 19 points and five rebounds. Lauren Scott recorded a career-high 17 points on 6-of-8 shooting to go along with four rebounds, two steals, and a block. Alexis Hutchison stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, five rebounds, four assists, and two blocks, while Cara VanKempen chipped in with 10 points on 3-of-5 shooting. WSU had its best shooting performance of the early season, finishing 50.8 percent (30-of-59) from the field, 45.5% (10-of-22) on 3-pointers, and 90% (18-of-20) on free throws.
HISTORY VS. ISU
Wright State holds a 5-3 advantage in the all-time series versus ISU. The teams most recently met during the 2004-05 season, where the Raiders earned a 60-52 win. WSU’s last road win over ISU came in 2000.
SCOUTING THE SYCAMORES
Indiana State is 1-2 overall, with a season-opening win in overtime at Northern Kentucky, followed by losses to Missouri and Illinois-Springfield. The Sycamores have three players scoring in double figures, but their defense has allowed 70-plus points in all three games.
Fifth-year forward Chelsea Cain has been the team’s most productive player, averaging 14.0 points, 6.0 rebounds, and 1.7 steals per game. Sophomore guard Bella Finnegan ranks second on the team in scoring (13.0 ppg), highlighted by a 25-point showing against NKU. Redshirt senior forward Mya Glanton tops the program in rebounding (7.7 rpg), including 4.7 per game on the offensive end.
HOT START
Graduate forward Cara VanKempen ranks ninth nationally with a 72.7% mark on 3-pointers. She has gone 8-of-11 from beyond the arc through three games, which includes a 4-for-5 showing at Michigan State (11/12) on her way to a team-leading 16 points. Last season, she ranked second on the team in 3-point percentage (42.9%).
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
FIRST IMPRESSIONS
Graduate transfer Alexis Hutchison tops the team in scoring (13.0 ppg) through three games. She scored a game-leading 19 points on 7-of-17 shooting in Wright State’s season opener at Southern Indiana (11/6). Her point total was 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.
Redshirt senior guard Layne Ferrell is averaging 9.0 points, 2.7 rebounds, 2.0 assists, and 2.0 steals. At USI, she stuffed the stat sheet with 16 points, three rebounds, three assists, four steals, and two blocks.
BOUNCED BACK
Sophomore guard Lauren Scott was held scoreless in her opening two games of the 2023-24 campaign but 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).
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. She added a career-high eight rebounds at Michigan State (11/12).
SHOOTERS SHOOT
Wright State ranks 39th nationally and second in the Horizon League in 3-point makes per game (8.7). The Raiders have knocked down double-digit threes against Southern Indiana (11/6) and Mount Vernon Nazarene (11/14).
A season ago, WSU 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).
KEY RETURNERS
The Raiders return five letterwinners from a year ago, anchored by starting guard Kacee Baumhower (9.4 ppg, 3.2 rpg, 2.3 apg) and starting forward Cara VanKempen (6.2 ppg, 3.2 rpg). The duo is joined by Horizon League All-Freshman Team recipient Makiya Miller (5.9 ppg, 1.5 apg), Lauren Scott (4.8 ppg), and Rachel Loobie (2.6 ppg, 2.7 rpg).
MILESTONE WATCH
Alexis Hutchison is nearing 1,500 career points (currently at 1,426 points) and 200 career steals (currently at 187 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 87 collegiate games.
PRESEASON POLL
The Raiders finished seventh in the 2023 Horizon League preseason poll with 54 points, which the league’s 11 head coaches voted on. Green Bay (121 points) was selected to win the conference after receiving all 11 first-place votes.
EARLY TESTS
Wright State’s non-conference schedule features seven teams with a winning record last season, two Power Five programs, and a multi-team exempt event (MTE). The Raiders face road meetings at Michigan State (November 12) and West Virginia (December 18). WSU will close its non-conference slate with games against Presbyterian (December 21) and Wyoming (December 22) at the Las Vegas Hoops Classic.
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.
STRONG FINISH
Wright State started the 2022-23 season 2-19 overall but went 6-5 over its last 11 games. The Raiders defeated conference opponents Robert Morris, Northern Kentucky, Milwaukee, Detroit Mercy, and Oakland (twice) in the span. WSU scored 80-plus points six times, highlighted by an 86-point performance in its win over UDM (2/25/23).
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
Season tickets for the Raider women’s basketball campaign are on sale through WSURaiders.com or by contacting the ticket office at (937) 775-4936, starting as low as $40. Single-game tickets are 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 has a quick turnaround, hosting Division II Slippery Rock on Monday, November 20. The game will start at 7 p.m. and stream on ESPN+.