SVSU Women's Basketball

December 2, 2004
Women's Basketball
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

Cardinals Win Home Opener, 89-77, Over Wayne State

UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team won their home opener by a score of 89-77 over the Wayne State Warriors on Thursday (Dec. 2). The game was the GLIAC opener for both teams and marks first year head coach Vonnie Killmer's first career conference victory. The Cardinals improved their record to 3-3 (1-0 GLIAC), while WSU falls to 2-3 (0-1 GLIAC).
     SVSU trailed by as many as ten points in the first half before taking their first lead on a Stephanie Hass (Harbor Springs, Mich./Harbor Light Christian) free throw with 6:52 remaining in the opening period.  The Cardinals were able to push that lead to 10 points, taking a 48-38 lead into halftime, and never looked back after the break.
     The Cardinals' lead swelled to 16 points at two different junctures in the second half. Wayne State was able to chip away at the lead and got as close as seven points with 39 seconds remaining but could not get any closer as the Cardinals closed out with a 12-point victory.
     The Cardinals had five players score in double figures for the first time since a Jan. 26, 2004 win over Grand Valley State. Freshman Kali Briggs (Jackson, Mich./Vandercook Lake) led the way with a career-high 22 points and a game-high 17 rebounds, while sophomore Sara Bilunes (Holt, Mich.) added career highs of 22 points and eight assists. Briggs connected on 8-of-10 field goal attempts, while Bilunes drilled 8-of-16 from the floor and 4-of-8 from three-point territory. Sophomore Lisa Collison (Saginaw, Mich./Heritage) poured in a career-high 21 points and added five rebounds and four assists before fouling out with less than a minute to play. Senior captain Jessica Wilson (Martin, Tenn./Westview) chipped in with 12 points, five assists and three steals, while Hass (Harbor Springs, Mich./Harbor Light Christian) provided a season-high 10 points off of the bench for the Cardinals.
    The Warriors placed four players in double figures in the scoring column, led by Kristen Rogers' 17 points. Nicole Rogers followed up with a double-double effort of 16 points and 10 rebounds, while Shatona Clark poured in 13 points. Cherita Smith closed out the double-figure contingent with 11 points, while also adding a game-high four steals.
     The Cardinals shot a scorching 56.6 percent (30-of-53) on field goal attempts, while holding WSU to only 30.3 percent (27-of-89) shooting. SVSU also shot well from beyond the three-point arc, connecting on 9-of-21 attempts (.429). Wayne State hit just 11-of-38 three-point attempts (.289).
     The Cardinals travel to Hillsdale College for a 1:00p.m. clash with the Chargers on Saturday (Dec. 4).

Contact: Jeff Bacholzky (989) 964-4933