UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team returned to the court for the first time since December 6 to take on Wayne State University in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest Sunday at the James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena.
The Cardinals trailed for most of the contest but took over in the fourth quarter and built a five-point lead with just 20 seconds remaining. Wayne State hit a pair of free throws and drilled a 3-pointer with just 0.8 seconds on the clock.
SVSU took a timeout to advance the ball and Maddie Barrie tossed a perfect inbound pass to Tori DePerry under the basket, who released it quickly for the game winner. The 69-67 victory pushes SVSU to 9-2 overall and a perfect 4-0 in the GLIAC.
How it Happened:
- Kate Sherwood hit a 3-pointer for WSU to give the Warriors an early 12-5 lead.
- Tori DePerry made a layup with 3:50 left in the first to cut the WSU lead to 16-14.
- The Warriors closed the first on a 7-0 run and led 23-14 after the first 10 minutes.
- The Cardinals trailed by as many as 13 in the second quarter and Sherwood hit a 3-pointer in the closing seconds to give the visitors a 36-26 advantage at the break.
- SVSU turned up the defensive pressure in the third including blocks from Jessica Massey on back-to-back possessions.
- Maddie Barrie drilled a 3-pointer with 3:31 left in the third, while Victoria Stafford hit one of her own to tie the game at 44-44.
- The Cardinals went in front 57-55 with 4:50 to go on a layup from Maddie Maloney.
- Kaitlyn Zarycki found DePerry open under the basket with 20 seconds to go for a layup, giving SVSU a five-point lead.
- Sherwood hit a pair of free throws with nine seconds to play and WSU got the ball back on an off-ball foul.
- Rebecca Fugate hit the game-tying 3-pointer for WSU with 0.8 seconds on the clock setting up DePerry for the buzzer-beating game-winner on the other end.
Inside the Box Score:
- DePerry led four Cardinals in double-figures with 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting. She added six rebounds and three assists.
- Barrie hit three 3-pointers and finished with 13 points, three assists, and three steals.
- Stafford added 12 points off the bench.
- Zarycki, a three-time GLIAC Player of the Week this season, filled the stat sheet with 11 points, seven rebounds, six assists, and three blocks.
- The Cardinals shot 27-of-63 from the field, 7-of-22 from deep, and 8-of-9 at the line.
- Sherwood and Emma Anderson each scored 18 points to lead the Warriors.
Up Next:
The Cardinals travel to Lake Superior State University for a GLIAC matchup at 5:30 pm on Thursday in Sault Ste. Marie, Mich.
Postgame Interview with Head Coach Jenny Pruett Below:
