WESTVILLE, Ind. -- The fifth-seeded Wayne State University women's basketball squad (12-8 overall) had its 2020-21 campaign end with a 69-58 setback versus fourth-seeded Saginaw Valley State University (10-9 overall) Thursday afternoon in a GLIAC quarterfinal contest.

FIRST HALF RECAP
After allowing the first bucket of the game, the Warriors scored the next nine points for a 9-2 advantage.  Junior forward Sam Cherney (Farmington Hills, Mich. / North Farmington) tied the game with a lay-up before classmate Kate Sherwood (Canton, Mich. / Belleville) made two free throws.  Senior Tori Perez (Belleville, Mich.) scored from down low, before sophomore Becca Fugate (Holly, Mich.) drained a triple to conclude the 9-0 run.

The Cardinals responded with a 12-0 spurt to take a 14-2 advantage as WSU went nearly seven minutes without a point, until a Cherney lay-up completed the first period scoring with Wayne State trailing 14-11.

SVSU scored the first four points of the second quarter before a Sherwood bucket.  Just over 30 seconds later Sherwood connected from long distance cutting the WSU deficit to two at 18-16.

Saginaw Valley State's Maddie Maloney and Kaitlyn Zarycki made jumpers sandwiched around a three-pointer by Warrior sophomore Kate McArthur (Warren, Mich. / Cousino).

A conventional three-point play Sherwood knotted the game at 22-22.  She then grabbed a defensive rebound and scored the go-ahead bucket before Cardinal Maddie Barrie made two foul shots for another tied game.

Neither team scored for over 2:30 before Fugate made a pair of free throws with 2:46 left before intermission.  Fugate later connected from beyond the arc, but SVSU's Victoria Stafford answered with a three-pointer of her own.

Fugate was fouled driving to the hoop and made both free throws for a 31-27 lead before Cardinal Tori DePerry got her own offensive rebound and put back.

Freshman Halle Barnett (Toledo, Ohio / Sylvania Southview) made a lay-up in the waning seconds giving the Warriors a 33-29 advantage at intermission.

SECOND HALF RECAP
Cherney scored the first four points of the second half on a driving lay-up and an offensive rebound and put back for a 37-29 lead.

After a jumper by junior Alexis Miller (Howell, Mich.), Saginaw Valley scored nine straight points to take a 43-41 advantage on a triple by Barrie.

The Cardinals increased their advantage as both Perez and Barnett split a pair at the charity stripe.  Two foul shots by Sherwood pulled the Warriors within two at 47-45 and then Sherwood knotted the score with a driving lay-up before a Maloney jumper gave SVSU a 49-47 edge after three quarters.

The Wayne State defense held Saginaw Valley scoreless for the first 3:40, but only managed two free throws by Sherwood.

The Cardinals scored five points in a 13-second span on a jumper by DePerry and a triple by Maloney.

WSU finally broke the field goal drought at the 5:36 mark when Cherney made a lay-up, but Maloney responded with a triple, then a minute later Barrie hit a corner triple extending the lead to 60-51.

Miller drained a three-pointer cutting the deficit to six (60-54) with 2:58 remaining.  SVSU's Maloney made a step-back triple just before the shot clock expired for a 63-54.  On the ensuing possession for the Cardinals, Maloney made another three-pointer just as the shot clock was going off.

Saginaw Valley advances to the semifinals with a 69-58 win.

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Sherwood led WSU with 18 points on 5-of-7 shooting (1-1 3-PT), plus 7-of-7 at the charity stripe.  Fugate contributed 12 points, while Cherney had 10 points and nine rebounds.

LEADING THE CARDINALS
Maloney tallied a game-high 21 points, while Zarycki, DePerry and Barrie each chipped in with 13 points.

TEAM STATS
Wayne State shot 39 percent (20-of-51) from the floor, while SVSU connected on 50 percent (27-of-54) of its field goal attempts.  WSU was 5-of-13 (39 percent) from three-point range, but the Cardinals shot 56 percent (9-of-16) from beyond the arc.  The Warriors were 13-of-15 from the charity stripe (87 percent) with Saginaw Valley State making 6-of-10 (60 percent).  Wayne State had a 32-26 edge in rebounding, but the Warriors had 18 turnovers to 12 miscues for SVSU.