UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team got a career-high 29 points from senior guard Kayla Womack to lead the team to a 16 point home victory over the Walsh University Cavaliers, 80-64.
The victory improves SVSU to 6-3 overall on the season and 4-2 in Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) competition. Walsh falls to 5-6 overall and 1-5 in league play after the defeat.
The Lady Cardinals found themselves in a quick hole to open the game, as the Cavaliers rattled-off nine straight points to lead 9-0 at the 17:19 mark.
Walsh extended its lead out to 17 points, as it led by a score of 26-9 with 8:57 remaining in the half. It was the largest deficit SVSU would face for the half and the entire game.
Saginaw Valley used a 9-0 run of its own that was capped-off by a Shelby Herrington layup to cut the lead to 26-18 at the 6:45 marker of the half.
After trailiing 31-20 with 5:06 left to play in the half, freshman guard Abby Schlicher hit a three-pointer to get the scoring rolling for SV, as the Cards scored 10 of the next 12 points of the game to pull within three points at the half, 33-30. Womack scored the final seven points of that run, as the three point deficit was the closest Saginaw Valley was since it trailed 2-0 to open the half.
Womack led all scorers in the first 20 minutes of play, netting 12 points while adding three rebounds.
Rebounds were an even 19-19 for the opening half while SVSU shot 40.6% from the floor and the Cavaliers 44.8%.
SVSU grabbed its first lead of the game at 38-36 with 18:54 left to play after senior guard Kristen Greene drained a pair of triples.
The Cavaliers held a brief lead with the score 39-38, but the Lady Cardinals would re-gain the advantage after a pair of Womack free throws and lead the rest of the way.
SVSU's lead was in the double-digits from the 5:15 mark on. The largest lead was what the final score would prove to be, a 16 point advantage after junior forward Briana Graham made good on a layup with just under a minute left. That made the final edge 80-64.
Womack was named the Meijer "Player of the Game" after her career performance of 29 points and a team-high seven rebounds. The 29 points bests her previous high of 27, which she scored on February 2, 2012 at Grand Valley State.
Greene added 17 points and five rebounds while sophomore guard Katelyn Carriere had 15 points, five boards and a team-high four assists.
SVSU committed just three second half turnovers and forced seven for the visitors. The Cards also posted a 39-36 edge in the rebounding department for the entire game.
The Lady Cardinals return to action on Thursday (Jan. 9), as they begin a road trip with a GLIAC contest at the University of Findlay. Tip-off for that game is set for 6:00 pm.