(NORTH CANTON, Ohio) – Walsh picked up one of its finest wins in its Division II era with an upset 89-83 win over No. 14 Wayne State Saturday afternoon at Alumni Arena. It's the first time the Cavaliers (18-9, 12-9) have beat a ranked opponent since they moved to the NCAA.

The Warriors (21-4, 17-4) entered the week ranked No. 4 in the Midwest regional poll. The top eight teams at the end of the season make the NCAA tournament. Walsh also beat Wayne State at home two years ago when the Warriors were ranked No. 4 in the region prior to a Cavs 61-60 win.

The Cavs came out on first and controlled the tempo of the game throughout an explosive first half. Kelsey Funderburgh (5-7, Jr., North Lewisburg, OH/Triad) had one of the best performances in a single half by any Cavalier with 24 points. She blistered the net eight times with six 3-pointers in the opening 20 minutes as Walsh took a 48-40 lead into the break at halftime.

Walsh kept the pressure on at the start of the second as it went up by 12 after a Brooklyn Wooten (5-8, So., Grove City, OH/Central Crossing) 3-pointer that made the score 54-42 with 18:35 to play.

A talented Warriors squad didn't give up as Shareta Brown helped muscle the visitors back into the game. Behind 22 second half points, the 6-1 forward helped Wayne State come back and regain the lead at 73-72 after a pair of free throws with 5:44 to go in the game. Just over a minute later, Brown broke a 79-79 tie with a 3-point And One play.

The good thing for the Cavs was that it was Wayne State's last made field goal of the game. Walsh scored the next six points on a pair of jumpers by Wooten and a basket by Jalynn Graham (5-5, So., Columbus, OH/Central Crossing) to take an 85-82 lead with 1:38 left.

The Cavs made four free throws down the stretch to set up the final score.

Funderburgh finished with a team-high 28 points as she was 8-of-15 from the field. Wooten also had a strong game with 18 points and dished out six assists. Graham scored 12 points to go with a team-best six rebounds and five assists.

Brown was nearly unstoppable for Wayne State with 38 points and 21 rebounds. She was 13-of-19 from the field. Brittany Streetman added 17.

In terms of the post-season, Walsh hasn't officially clinched a spot in next week's GLIAC tournament, but its chances have been significantly boosted with the win over Wayne State. The Cavs are a game ahead still a game ahead of Findlay who is currently 11-10. Those schools are fighting for the last automatic bid in the South Division.

Each division gets three automatic bids with the last two spots going to the two teams from either division with the best conference record. Hillsdale is currently the only other team still alive with an 11-10 conference record.

Walsh can eliminate any tiebreaking procedures with a win in the annual Mayor's Cup game against Malone this Thursday. The Cavs and Pioneers tip-off in the rivalry game at 5:30 p.m. in Alumni Arena.