UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team fell to No. 25 University of Wisconsin-Parkside today (Nov. 17) by a 70-64 decision at home in their final non-conference matchup prior to the GLIAC schedule.

The Cardinals got off to a slow start this afternoon as they trailed by as many as ten (21-11) midway through the first half. 

Saginaw Valley responded by turning up the defensive pressure and going on a 12-2 run over the next six minutes. The run was capped off by an Emily Wendling (Flushing, Mich.) bucket at the 6:37 mark to knot the contest at 23-23.

Wisconsin-Parkside would regain the lead and stretch it to six before Wendling converted on an and-one opportunity to cut the Ranger lead to 34-31 as the two teams entered the halftime intermission. Wendling led SVSU in the first twenty minutes with 13 points on 4-of-7 shooting including a perfect 5-for-5 from the foul line.

The Lady Cardinals came out of the locker room re-energized and took their first lead (39-38) of the contest at the 16:48 mark of the second half after Samantha Zirzow (Goodrich, Mich.) stole an errant UWP pass and took it coast-to-coast for the layup.

Freshman Katelyn Carriere (London, Ontario / John Paul II) connected on a three-point jumper as Saginaw Valley pushed their advantage to 46-42 with just under 12 minutes remaining.

The final ten minutes of the matchup featured multiple lead changes and momentum swings as both teams played aggressive defense. The score was knotted at 58-58 with one minute to play in regulation.

Katelyn Carriere came up with a big defensive stop as she took a charge with 4.5 seconds remaining to give SVSU a game-winning shot. A last-second heave by Alex Green (East Lansing, Mich.) at the buzzer came close, but bounced off the rim as the game headed into overtime.

In the extra session, Emily Wendling gave SVSU a 61-60 edge as she continued to establish her dominance in the paint.

After the Rangers gained control and stretched their lead to 68-61, Katelyn Carriere knocked down a triple to cut the lead to four with 60 seconds to go.

However, Saginaw Valley was unable to knock down the shots they needed down the stretch as Wisconsin-Parkside picked up the 70-64 victory.

Meijer 'Player of the Game' Emily Wendling led all scorers with 25 points and six rebounds on 9-of-14 shooting, including 7-for-7 from the foul stripe.

Katelyn Carriere recorded 15 points as she went 4-for-7 from the three-point line, while Kristen Greene (Brown City, Mich.) posted 10 points and seven assists on the afternoon.

The Cardinals once again displayed their aggressiveness on offense as they went to the free throw line 16 times in regulation, compared to just eight for the Rangers. SVSU fired 83 percent from the line on 15-of-18 shooting. However, the Rangers outscored the Cardinals in the paint, 42-26.

SVSU drops to 1-2 on the season with the loss, while the Rangers are now 3-0 on the year.

Saginaw Valley will return to action after the Thanksgiving break when they start the conference schedule at Ohio Dominican on Thursday, Nov. 29 at 7:30 PM