The Basics
Score: Saginaw Valley 75, Grand Valley 71
Records: SVSU (18-7, 15-5 GLIAC) | GVSU (18-8, 13-7 GLIAC)
Location: Fieldhouse Arena - Allendale, Mich.
ALLENDALE, Mich. - The SVSU women's basketball team kept itself in a tie atop the GLIAC North Division after posting a 75-71 road victory over Grand Valley State in league action on Thursday (Feb. 18) night. The Lady Cardinals got a career-high 23 points from Danielle Carriere and career-highs of 11 rebounds and nine assists from Katelyn Carriere in claiming the four-point win.
After Halee Nieman got a quick layup for SVSU to open the game's scoring, the Lakers quickly built a double-digit lead of 11 points (15-4) at the 4:38 marker of the opening quarter. The home team kept the lead and closed the quarter leading 22-12 despite a late three-pointer from SV's Danielle Carriere with 42 seconds showing on the clock.
Saginaw Valley bounced back with a solid second quarter, posting a 21-9 edge in the frame to carry a 33-31 lead into the halftime break. Trailing 25-14 with 8:36 to play in the first half, the Cardinals went on a 15-0 run and would claim a four-point lead at 29-25. Danielle Carriere posted eight of those 15 points. The teams traded buckets from there and a pair of free throws from GV's Kayla Dawson cut the lead to just two points as the teams entered the locker rooms.
The Lakers re-gained the lead to open the third quarter but SVSU got it back and built a four point edge (47-43) and five point lead (50-45) after triples from Danielle Carriere, the latter coming with 2:44 to play in the quarter. Saginaw Valley carried a 51-50 lead into the fourth quarter after GVSU's Bailey Cairnduff hit a triple with 41 seconds left.
Grand Valley took the lead back in the fourth quarter and built an eight point edge at 65-57 with 4:21 left to play in the game.
After trailing by five points (68-63), SV got three consecutive buckets from Emily Wendling, a pair of free throws from Anna Hall and two more from Katelyn Carriere as part of a 10-0 run to take a 73-68 lead with nine seconds left to play.
Carinduff was then fouled on a three-point attempt and made all three tries to cut the deficit to 73-71 with seven seconds left but the Lakers were forced to foul again and Katelyn Carriere made good on both of her next attempts to make the score 75-71. That's where the score would remain, with the Cards coming away with the four point victory.
Inside the Boxscore
- Danielle Carriere was 8-of-11 from the floor and 7-of-10 from beyond the arc in going for a career-high 23 points. Her seven triples marked a career-best as well and she added six rebounds and a pair of steals.
- Katelyn Carriere narrowly missed out on a triple-double, as she tied a career-high with 11 boards, adding 15 points and a career-best nine assists. She also had three steals in the game. Her first double-double of the year was just the second of her career.
- Wendling added 20 points, six boards, two asssists and a steal in the victory. It marks her 13th 20-plus point performance of the 2015-16 campaign.
- SVSU shot 44.6% (25-56) from the floor and 50.0% (10-20) from beyond the arc while GVSU was 44.1% (26-59) and 40.6% (12-32), respectively.
- The Lady Cardinals held a 28-16 advantage in points in the paint and was 11-0 in second chance points. The SVSU bench outscored the Lakers as well, 25-18.
- Saginaw Valley remains tied for first atop the GLIAC North Standings with a 15-5 record, still with the same league record as Michigan Tech.
- The Cards were ranked No. 8 in the first regional rankings while the Lakers were No. 7. The season sweep over GVSU is the second in the past three seasons.
Meijer "Player of the Game"
Danielle Carriere was named the Meijer "Player of the Game" after her career-high 23 points and six boards. Her seven made three-pointers were a career-best as well.
From Head Coach Jamie Pewinski...
"That was an incredible game with both teams playing well and making sustained runs. We stayed pretty steady emotionally and just kept focusing on the next play! It's great to see the team not panic and continue to grind it out for the full 40 minutes. I love the mental toughness we showed and hope that continues going forward!"
Up Next for Saginaw Valley
Saginaw Valley returns home for its last two games of the 2015-16 regular season, beginning Saturday (Feb. 20) versus Ferris State University in a 6:00 p.m. matchup. It will be Breast Cancer Awareness Night at SVSU, as survivors will be recognized at halftime of the game. The Bulldogs are coming off a 74-63 home loss to the Hillsdale College Chargers.
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