ERIE, PA – Second-half swoons have the Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team reeling.
     The Lady Cardinals faltered down the stretch and dropped their third straight game at Mercyhurst College, 70-51 Saturday. -more-After trailing by as many as 11 points in the first half, and 35-30 at intermission, SVSU fought back to tie the game at 43-43 with 9:44 left in the game. The Lakers responded by outscoring the visitors 22-1 over the next six minutes to put the game away.
     "We played well for 33 minutes, but couldn't finish it," said second-year coach Lori Flaherty. "We also hurt ourselves with turnovers."
     The Cardinals committed more than 30 turnovers for the third straight game, while Mercyhurst coughed up 24. The Lakers also had a 43-36 rebounding edge, including 22 offensive rebounds.
     Senior Jill Herbig (Hamilton) led SVSU with 14 points, while sophomore Jenny White (Oxford) added 12. Leading scorer Sue Karber (Grosse Point/North) was held to seven points and seven rebounds, while senior Andrea Jones (Swartz Creek) managed eight points and eight boards.
     Amy Galla and Jodie Maxim each had 14 points for the Lakers, while Galla cleared a game-high 11 rebounds.
     Saginaw Valley dropped to 3-5 overall and 1-3 in the GLIAC North Division, while Mercyhurst improved to 7-1 overall and 3-0 in the South Division.
     SVSU closes the millennium with a home non-league contest against Lewis University, IL, on Dec. 18 in O'Neill Arena.

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