Women's Basketball Defeats Saginaw Valley 68-57

OVERVIEW – SAGINAW VALLEY

SCORE: Northwood Timberwolves 68, Saginaw Valley State Cardinals 57

RECORDS: Northwood (10-18, 8-12 GLIAC), Saginaw Valley (12-16, 8-12 GLIAC)

LOCATION: O'Neil Arena – University Center, Mich.

RECAP: Northwood women's basketball earns 68-57 road win over rival Saginaw Valley, but the Timberwolves miss GLIAC Tournament on tiebreakers.

FIRST QUARTER

• The Timberwolves set the tone for the opening half right away, scoring the first five points and 11 of the first 14 overall.
• Northwood led by 12 twice before settling for a 22-13 lead after one quarter.
• NU had a big shooting quarter in the first, going 8-13 overall (61.5 percent) and 4-6 from 3-point range (66.7 percent).
• SVSU ended the first at 40.0 percent overall (4-10) while making 2-4 from beyond the arc.

SECOND QUARTER

• Northwood kept things rolling in the second, getting the lead to 17 (33-16) with under four minutes remaining in the half.
• SVSU finished the second with a push, cutting the Northwood lead to 35-28 at the break.
• Northwood ended the second at 38.5 percent (5-13) overall and 2-6 from 3-point range (33.3 percent).
• Saginaw Valley was 4-12 overall (33.3 percent) and 3-7 from 3-point range (42.9 percent).

THIRD QUARTER

• Saginaw Valley cut the Northwood lead down to three (40-37) with under five minutes remaining in the quarter.
• Northwood responded well in down the stretch of the third, scoring eight straight points before taking a 51-41 lead to the fourth.
• After struggling to start the quarter, Northwood ended the third at 33.3 percent overall (6-18) but just 1-9 from 3-point range (11.1 percent).
• Saginaw Valley was 6-13 overall (46.2 percent) but missed all three of their free throw attempts.

FOURTH QUARTER

• Northwood maintained control in the fourth, as the lead stayed above seven over the final 10 minutes.
• The Timberwolves got their advantage to as many as 14 in the fourth before winning by nine.
• NU was efficient on offense in the fourth, going 6-10 overall (60.0 percent) and 1-2 from 3-point range (50.0 percent)
• SVSU got hot in the final moments to finish the fourth at 54.5 percent (6-11) and 75.0 percent from 3-point range (3-4).

GAME STATS

• FG PERCENTAGE: Saginaw Valley .435 (20-46), Northwood .463 (25-54)
• 3-PT PERCENTAGE: Saginaw Valley .450 (9-20), Northwood .348 (8-23)
• FREE THROW PERCENTAGE: Saginaw Valley .533 (8-15), Northwood .667 (10-15)
• REBOUNDS: Saginaw Valley 29 (Seven offensive), Northwood 31 (Eight offensive)
• ASSISTS/TURNOVERS: Saginaw Valley 13/15, Northwood 13/15
• POINTS IN THE PAINT: Saginaw Valley 18, Northwood 32
• POINTS OFF TURNOVERS: Saginaw Valley 10, Northwood 14
• SECOND CHANCE POINTS: Saginaw Valley 6, Northwood 10
• FAST BREAK POINTS: Saginaw Valley 3, Northwood 6
• BENCH POINTS: Saginaw Valley 11, Northwood 21

TOP NU PERFORMERS

• Makenzie Todd: 17 points, 5-7 from the floor, 3-4 from 3-point range
• Alli Keyser: 14 points, three rebounds, two assists
• Hunter Viitala: 13 points, eight rebounds, two assists.

NORTHWOOD NOTES

• Northwood finished the regular season tied with Saginaw Valley for the eighth and final spot in the GLIAC Tournament. The teams were also tied in the tiebreaker point system as well as splitting head-to-head. The Cardinals earned the final position in the tournament thanks to having a better road win against the top teams in the league – SVSU won at Ferris State while NU lost.

UP NEXT

• The Timberwolves have completed their season.