December 01, 2004
VOLUME 100, No. 13

WSC Sports

With three home wins, WSC women race to 5-1 start

By Patrick Janssen
Sports Editor

Facing her former team, Nicole Gruntorad exploded for a game-high 30 points Tuesday night, leading the Wayne State women’s basketball team to its fifth victory of the season, 83-65.
Gruntorad, a junior transfer from the University of Nebraska-Kearney, scored 23 of her 30 points in the second half. She hit nine of 13 shots from the field, while also pulling down six rebounds in the Cats win over UNK, their fifth victory in six tries.
“Gunner stepped up and carried us on her back,” WSC head coach Ryun Williams said. “It’s really hard to play against a team you’ve played for. I thought she’d come out pressing, but she really played well tonight.”
Gruntorad was joined in double figures by sophomore forward Erin McCormick (Grant), and junior center Kristen Humphries.
McCormick recorded a double-double, notching 13 points while collecting 11 rebounds. Humprhies added 10 points and seven rebounds.
The Cats outrebounded the Lopers 38-32 in the victory.
Prior to the win Tuesday night, the Cats notched four straight wins before falling on the road to Augustana.
The Cats won their home opener versus Peru State, easily outdistancing the Bobcats, 88-55.
The Wildcats then traveled to Golden, Colo. for two games in the Colorado School of Mines Classic, winning both.
Bench production was key in the Cats two wins versus Colorado School of Mines and Colorado Christian. The Cats’ bench scored 55 points versus Colorado Christian.
A tight 83-76 win over York College Nov. 23 left the Cats 4-0 prior to a road loss to Augustana.
The Cats next action will be at the USD Classic Nov. 3-4. The Cats play USD on Friday before taking on UNO on Saturday.

WSC men suffer series of close losses, now 1-3

By John Zelasney
Sports Reporter

On “Pack the Gym” Night, a packed Rice Auditorium was treated to a tight game, but a disappointing outcome.
The Wildcats dropped a 70-69 contest to the University of Nebraska-Kearney. The loss dropped WSC to 1-3.
“The stat that jumps out at me right away is 27 turnovers,” head coach Rico Burkett said. “Facing a good team like Kearney, it’s real hard to win like that. Not to take anything away from them, they’re a good team. But we just shot ourselves in the foot tonight.”
Leading Wayne State was a trio of seniors. Forward Brett Watson had 20 points and four rebounds, while center Brett Cain added 20 points, 10 rebounds and four blocks. Forward Todd Klostermann made four of five shots from the field and four of four free throws for 12 points.
Prior to Tuesday’s loss, the Wildcats started the season with a pair of losses before winning at home versus York College.
“Starting out the season with two losses could be a negative, but the way we have played gives our staff a lot of positives to build on,” Coach Burkett said. “I was really proud of the way we competed in our first outing, and it was good for us to get our first victory at home.”
Despite 20 points from Cain, the Cats dropped their opener against North Dakota, 81-76.
“We battled and fought the whole night, and put ourselves in position to win the game with two minutes to go, to UND’s credit they hit some really big shots to hold us off,” Burkett added.
The Cats followed up their opening game loss by playing Division I NCAA Tournament qualifier Northern Iowa. The Cats played hard against the Panthers, but in the end did not have enough to take down the Panthers.
“We played a solid ball-game,” Burkett said. “We took the fight right to them. I felt our kids did a great job of competing. We had our chances, but as the game wore on, foul trouble and depth really decided the game.”
In the victory over York, the Cats were paced by junior guard Dusty Smith, who contributed a game-high 25 points. Smith went four-of-six from behind the three-point line and put in 11 of his 12 free throw attempts. WSC’s next action will be on the road. The Cats will travel to Augustana Dec. 4 before playing at UNO Dec. 7.