Cardinals Fall Late to Chargers 72-63 in Home Finale
| Final | 1 | 2 | T |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hillsdale (14-11, 10-8GLIAC) | 34 | 38 | 72 |
| Saginaw Valley (6-18, 4-13 GLIAC) | 30 | 33 | 63 |
| University Center, MI | |||
| Hillsdale | Saginaw Valley |
|---|---|
| Pts: Elizabeth Brannick - 20 | Pts: Samantha Zirzow - 18 |
| Reb: Lea Jones - 6 | Reb: 2 Players (#40, #TM - 9) |
| Ast: Chelsea Harrison - 6 | Ast: Kayla Womack - 5 |
| Team Statistics | Hillsdale | Saginaw Valley |
|---|---|---|
| Field Goal % | 40.9% (27-66 ) | 45.3% (24-53 ) |
| Rebounds | 30 | 37 |
| Assists | 19 | 14 |
| Turnovers | 12 | 21 |
| Pts off Turnovers | 20 | 10 |
| 2nd Chance Pts | 11 | 4 |
| Pts in the Paint | 20 | 38 |
| Fastbreak Pts | 0 | 0 |
| Bench Pts | 18 | 18 |
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team fell to Hillsdale College on Senior Night (Feb. 18), 72-63. The loss drops the Cardinals to 6-18 overall and 4-13 in the GLIAC, while the Chargers improve to 14-11 on the season and 10-8 in the conference.
Kristen Greene (Brown City, Mich.) was sharp from the field in the early minutes as she connected on two three-pointers in the first five minutes to tie up the contest 8-8 at the 14:28 mark of the first half. Greene posted 14 points and six rebounds on the evening.
Hillsdale proceeded to go on a 6-0 run before Meijer "Player of the Game" Samantha Zirzow (Goodrich, Mich.) converted on a tough bucket plus the foul to bring SVSU within three, 16-13, with 11:04 to play in the half.
The Chargers answered back with another rally before Zirzow once again capitalized on a three-point play opportunity bringing the Cardinals within one possession, 29-27, with 1:53 to go until halftime.
A deep three-point bucket as time expired in the half would give Hillsdale a 34-30 halftime advantage. Zirzow recorded 14 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the floor in the first half.
At the 16:10 mark of the second half, Grace Herzog (Linden, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) blocked a Hillsdale shot attempt to give her 83 blocks on the season breaking her previous school record (82) from the 2009-10 campaign.
The Cardinals fell behind by as many as nine in the second half before a Kayla Womack (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./North HS) drive to the bucket for two cut the deficit to 50-48 with 10:17 remaining in the contest. Womack recorded 17 points on 6-of-12 shooting including 5-for-5 from the foul line.
Herzog grabbed a rebound and was successful on the put back attempt to tie the contest at 53-53 with nine minute to go in regulation. She finished the game with eight points, nine rebounds and four blocks.
The Cardinals would take their first lead of the game since the score was 5-4 thanks to a Zirzow bucket in the paint at the 8:39 mark of the second half to give SVSU the 55-53 edge. Zirzow would finish the night with 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting from the field.
Hillsdale fought back with a big run taking a 71-59 lead as they knocked down four consecutive three-pointers with just 2:58 to play in the contest.
Saginaw Valley was unable to mount a comeback as they fell 72-63 in their final home game of the 2011-12 season.
The Cardinals shot 45.3 percent from the field compared to 40.9 percent for the Chargers. SVSU won the points in the paint battle by a 38-20 margin.
Saginaw Valley will finish up the season on the road when they travel to the Upper Peninsula to face Michigan Tech on Thursday (Feb. 23) at 5:30 PM.
