DETROIT, Mich. – Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball (4-12, 1-5 GLIAC) came up short in a 74-69 final against Wayne State University (11-5, 4-3 GLIAC) Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals held the Warriors to seven points in the first quarter before both offenses picked up down the stretch.
SVSU had two 16-point scorers in Aleshia Jones and Emma Dziezgowski. That ties a season high for Dziezgowski as she shot 6-for-10 from the floor and 2-for-5 from behind the arc. Jessica Massey had 13 points shooting 6-for-11 and led the team with seven rebounds and assists. 13 points is a season high for Massey and seven assists ties a career high last hit against Walsh early last season. Victoria Stafford was the final double-digit scorer with 10 points followed up by Lydia Meredith and Tyler Scheid with six and Makayla Mau with two.
Saginaw Valley shot an outstanding 53.4% from the floor knocking down 31 of 58 shots. The rebounding category was tied at 27 with the Cardinals winning the offensive boards nine to eight and the defensive rebounds swinging to the Warriors 19-18. Wayne State also won the assists and steals category by one each with assists being 18 to 17 and steals eight to seven. SVSU won the points in the paint category 48 to 36 and led points off turnovers 19 to 12.
The first quarter was the lowest scoring for both teams as the Cardinals jumped out to a 12-7 lead. This was the only quarter that either team scored less than 10 points. The two teams traded points to a 4-4 tie before a 6-0 run with buckets from Massey, Jones, and Dziezgowski put the Cardinals ahead by six. Three free throws for Wayne State were followed by a Mau jumper before the end of the quarter.
The second frame was the only quarter that was tied. After a bucket by Jones, a three pointer and a free throw cut the Cardinal lead to 14-11. Stafford hit a jumper followed by a bucket and two free throws for the Warriors brought them within one. Two buckets by Massey and a jumper for Dziezgowski formed another 6-0 run for SVSU pushing their lead to 22-15. Both teams scored five points closing out the first half as the two headed to the locker room with SVSU up 27-22.
The last two quarters were both won by Wayne State by five points. Two made shots by Stafford and Meredith along with one by Jones traded points with the Warriors moving the score to 37-30 before both teams hit a three pointer with SVSU's coming from Dziezgowski. A 6-2 run for Wayne State depleted the Cardinal lead to three before Massey hit two shots sandwiching two Warrior free throws which extended the SVSU lead to 46-41. WSU closed the third out with a 9-3 run after a Massey free throw as they tied the game 51-51 heading into the fourth.
The final 10 minutes swung back and forth. A jumper from Jones started the action giving SVSU the lead before a jumper for Wayne State tied it and Dziezgowski hit another three. Two shots for WSU gave them a one-point advantage and SVSU answered with Massey and Jones hitting a shot each to go ahead 60-57. A 4-0 run for the Warriors took the one-point lead back again before a 5-0 run coming off two Jones buckets and an and-one conversion made it 65-61 SVSU. A 6-0 WSU run put the Warriors up 67-65 before Dziezgowski made a layup to tie the game. Stafford followed with a jumper to put SVSU up by two for their final lead of the game. Wayne State ended the final two minutes on a 7-0 run to win 74-69.
Saginaw Valley women's basketball has a quick turnaround with Sunday off, but a rescheduled game against Davenport University (3-13, 1-5 GLIAC) on Monday. The original matchup was scheduled for last weekend, but with the inclement weather that rolled through the state, the Cardinals will head to Davenport on Monday, January 22. Tip-off is set for 4:00 PM.