#MotorCityMadness Stars of the Day: March 5
Ryan Makush
GAME ONE
Jen Wellnitz, Green Bay: The Horizon League’s Defensive Player of the Year had a performance fitting of the billing. With only four points in the first half, Wellnitz stepped it up in the second ending up with a strong 14 points. Wellnitz’s most notable moments came off of two steals which led to transition lay-ups for the Phoenix, one of which accounting for the first points of the game, the other padding the Phoenix’s fourth quarter lead. Wellnitz’s outstanding play helped move her team into the finals where they will take on the Wright State Raiders.
Sarah Cash, Youngstown State: The Penguins’ leading scorer earns another ‘star of the day’ with her 12-point outing. Only having taken six three-pointers on the season, Cash’s first three points came off a longball that stretched the Penguins’ first quarter lead to eight points. This was not all Cash did as she built off her early long range shot to tack on seven more points in the second quarter with the low post moves she has come to be known for.
GAME TWO
Symone Simmons, Wright State: Entering the final quarter down six, the Raiders needed a boost. That boost came from the 5’10” junior. The team’s leading rebounder, Simmons showcased that part of her game with a team-high nine, but her offensive contributions were essential in the Raiders getting the victory. Nine of Simmons’ 12 points came in the final quarter including a layup with five minutes remaining that gave Wright State a lead they never relinquished. Additionally, Simmons grabbed a big offensive board with 20 seconds left and her team up two to allow Chelsea Welsh to get the ball back and hit a couple free throws to ice the game and send the Raiders to the finals to take on the Green Bay Phoenix.
Danielle Lawrence, IUPUI: The Horizon League’s third leading scorer this season put up a team-high 17, including 13 in the second half, to allow her team to build a lead throughout the half. With her team down late in the fourth, Lawrence showed off her ability to thrive under pressure as the all-league player nailed a three with 1:10 left to cut the Raiders lead down to two points. While the Jaguars ultimately could not get the victory, Lawrence certainly helped make the semi-final match a highly competitive affair.
GAME THREE
Kenny Carpenter, Cleveland State: The Detroit native’s Motor City homecoming continues into the finals following his team’s victory over the Oakland Golden Grizzlies. The leading scorer for the Vikings led the team again with 16 points and several key moments throughout the second half. Carpenter tied the game up with one of his two threes at the 11-minute mark, then three minutes later went up-and-under to give the Vikings a one-point lead. His last two points of the game came at the 5:45 mark off of a pull-up jumper. Anthony Wright contributed greatly with a double-double, but Carpenter’s third straight game in double figures was vital to moving the Vikings to the finals where they will take on the Wright State Raiders.
Jalen Hayes, Oakland: Despite the three fouls in the first half, the all-league forward made a massive positive impact. Combining with Kendrick Nunn to score 39 of Oakland’s 43 points (with no other Grizzlies player scoring until the 10:54 mark in the second half) the Lansing native in his final appearance in Motor City Madness left an impact with 20 points, including a perfect nine-for-nine night from the line, along with 11 rebounds, five of those offensive. An all-league player all four of his seasons in the black and gold, Hayes’ senior presence was always felt on the court.
GAME FOUR
Loudon Love, Wright State: Many players would consider having a double-double at the final buzzer of a game to be a solid outing. Love, the Horizon League’s Freshman of the Year, had one at the end of the first half. Love’s first half included him racking up ten points and eleven rebounds before ultimately finishing the game with 18 points on eight-for-thirteen shooting to go along with 12 rebounds. The second team all-league selection will look to build off of back-to-back double figure outings in the championship game against the Cleveland State Vikings.
Jeremiah Bell, Milwaukee: Milwaukee’s leading scorer played the role of go-to man in their semi-final matchup against Wright State. Bell knocked down five three-pointers on his way to a 22-point performance. When the Panthers needed a big shot, it seemed the ball would most often find its way to Bell as he did good work to help his team gain a lead in the first half, and also helped them try to narrow the margin down the stretch. Just a junior, Bell seems poised to continue on with the Panthers as a top scorer and key player.