UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team was defeated by #19 Michigan Tech University today (Jan. 14), 59-42. The loss drops the Cardinals to 3-12 overall and 1-7 in the conference, while the Huskies improve to 11-3 on the season and 6-2 in the GLIAC.

SVSU was led by Meijer "Player of the Game" Samantha Zirzow (Goodrich, Mich.) who finished with 11 points on 4-of-8 shooting from the field and 3-of-5 from the free throw line.

The Cardinals got off to a slow start as Michigan Tech took an early 8-0 lead five minutes into the contest. Aysha Boston (Detroit, Mich./Renaissance HS) would hit two three pointers to cut the Husky led to 10-6 with 12:30 left in the first half. Boston would finish the game with eight points on 3-of-5 shooting from the field.

Two free throws by Kayla Womack (Grosse Pointe Woods, Mich./North HS) inside the final minute brought SVSU within seven, 27-20, as they entered the intermission. Womack dropped in 11 points on the afternoon.

With 15:45 remaining in the contest, Boston shook a defender and took it to the hole to bring the Cardinals within one possession, 27-24.

Michigan Tech's Krista Kasuboski answered the Cardinal rally by hitting four consecutive three pointers to give the Huskies a 39-26 advantage with 13:25 left in regulation.

SVSU trimmed the deficit to 44-36 thanks to a Kristen Greene (Brown City, Mich.) three pointer with 6:35 to go.  Greene would later hit a jump shot with 1:30 remaining in the contest to make the score 52-42. She recorded nine points in the contest.

The Huskies would hit their free throws down the stretch and defeat the Cardinals 59-42.

The Cardinals return to action next Thursday when they travel to #15 Ashland for a 5:30 PM start.