MARQUETTE -- Coming off a season opener at Michigan Tech on Thursday, the Cardinal Women's Basketball squad had a Saturday (Dec. 2) afternoon matchup at Northern Michigan University. After trailing by just a pair at the halftime break, the Cards continued on and fell to the Wildcats by a final count of 60-52.

Saginaw Valley forced 28 turnovers defensively in the contest but Northern Michigan went to the free throw line 37 times, converting on 31 of those tries. The Wildcats also outrebounded the Cardinals by a 47-24 margin to help, as Saginaw Valley allowed just 13 field goals to the home squad.

The opening quarter saw a slow start offensively for the Cardinals, as SVSU scored just five points and trailed 10-5 after the first 10 minutes of action.

SV responded with a solid second quarter, outscoring the Wildcats by an 18-15 margin to draw within two points (25-23) as the teams hit the locker rooms for halftime. The visitors led by a 23-22 score at the 1:50 poing after Rozhane Wells hit a layup but NMU got a pair of made shots from the foul line to take the lead into the half.

The Cardinals held a 31-29 edge in the third frame when Hannah Settingsgaard hit a layup at the 5:44 marker of the quarter. NMU worked its way back, however, taking a 42-35 lead into the fourth quarter 

Northern Michigan extended its lead from there, leading by as many as 17 points with the score 55-38 with just 4:57 to play. The Cardinals fought back, trimming the deficit back into single digits and putting the score at 57-51 with 22 seconds left after Laurel Jacqmain hit a triple to cap-off a run of six straight points for her. It would not be enough in the end though, with NMU pulling out the victory by a final score of 60-52.

Inside the Boxscore

• Settingsgaard led the way offensively for SV, earning Meijer "Player of the Game" honors with her team-high 14 points. She added a team-best four rebounds and four steals.
• Jacqmain was the only other Cardinal to reach double figures in scoring, netting 11 points with four boards, two assists and a pair of steals.
• Francesca Coury added six points and four steals with two helpers as well.
• Kaitlyn Geers had solid production off the bench as well, matching her career-high with seven points.
• Each team's bench had 15 points of scoring.

Up Next...

Saginaw Valley returns to James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena for a Thursday (Dec. 7) game against Lake Superior State University. The Cardinals and Lakers will tip at 6:00 p.m. in University Center. 

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