Northwest Wayne News

The Wayne State University women's basketball team secured a 71-68 victory over Saginaw Valley State University, ensuring their place in the GLIAC tournament. The game took place at Saginaw Valley State's home court, where the Warriors improved their overall record to 15-8 and 10-5 in the conference.

Wayne State began strongly, scoring the first seven points of the game. Shea Tripp and Gabi Lutchka were instrumental in establishing an early lead. By the end of the first quarter, Wayne State was ahead 22-7.

In the second quarter, Saginaw Valley attempted a comeback with Saniaa Walker's three-pointer starting a run that brought them within eight points. However, Wayne State managed to maintain a lead going into halftime with a score of 36-29.

The third quarter saw Saginaw Valley closing in further, tying the game at one point. They even took their first lead by the end of this period, entering the final quarter ahead by seven points at 54-47.

In a tense fourth quarter, Mackenzie Miller scored early for Wayne State. McKenna Ferguson played a pivotal role in reclaiming and maintaining a narrow lead for her team. With just over a minute left on the clock and both teams tied at 68 points each, Ferguson made crucial free throws that helped secure Wayne State's victory.

Both teams performed well from the field; however, Wayne State had an edge in rebounding and free throw shooting. Shea Tripp led Wayne State with 20 points while Megan McCalla topped all scorers with 25 points for Saginaw Valley.

Next up for Wayne State is an away game against Roosevelt University on February 17th.