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Women's Basketball

Saginaw Valley Falls to Michigan State in Exhibition Opener, 74-35

Saginaw Valley Falls to Michigan State in Exhibition Opener, 74-35
Posted: Nov 01, 2012

EAST LANSING, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team opened their 2012-13 season with an exhibition contest against the Michigan State University Spartans at the Breslin Center on Thursday (Nov. 1) evening.

The Cardinals came out and stuck with the Spartans for much of the first half as they used pressure defense to keep MSU in check. The lone lead for SVSU came at the 16:04 mark of the first half as freshman Katelyn Carriere (London, Ont. / John Paul II) connected from beyond the arc for the 3-2 edge.

Saginaw Valley created some quality opportunities with excellent ball movement for open shots and tough defensive play inside the paint but managed just five field goals in the first half.

Michigan State entered the halftime intermission with a 35-16 advantage. All of Saginaw Valley's scoring in the first half came from student-athletes who are new additions to this year's squad.

The Spartans quickly increased their lead as SVSU was unable to capitalize on any of their chances in the first six minutes of the second half. The Cardinals used this matchup against Michigan State as a valuable learning opportunity that they can use as building blocks for the rest of their schedule.

The Spartans defeated the Cardinals by a final score of 74-35.

Meijer 'Player of the Game' Briana Graham (Detroit, Mich. / Martin Luther King HS) led the Cardinals with a double-double as she finished the night with 10 points and 11 rebounds. Danielle Carriere (London, Ont. / John Paul II) and Emily Wendling (Flushing, Mich.) each tacked on eight points for SVSU, while Katelyn Carriere (London, Ont. / John Paul II) also added seven points for the Cardinals.

Michigan State is coached by sixth-year coach Suzy Merchant, formerly a head coach of the women's program at SVSU. Merchant ran Cardinal women's basketball for three seasons (1995-'98) and was at the helm during SVSU head coach Jamie Pewinski's senior year.

The Cardinals will be back in action next weekend when they host a four-team GLIAC/GLVC Challenge on Saturday (Nov. 3) and Sunday (Nov. 4). Saginaw Valley will battle Lewis on Saturday at 7:00 PM and St. Joseph's (Ind.) on Sunday at 3:00 PM.