The SVSU women’s basketball team lost in heartbreaking fashion to Ohio Dominican via a last second shot on Wednesday, Nov. 21. The Cardinals moved to 0-3 on the season with the loss.
The game began slow for SVSU, but senior forward Abby Duffy started to heat it up, dropping in the first four baskets for the team, putting the Cardinals up 17-16 at the end of the first.
The second quarter saw SVSU on a strong attack, as they began to pull away from the Panthers. Though ODU made some moves to keep it close, the Cardinals still left for the locker room with a five-point lead at the half on the back of freshman Maddie Barrie and her four consecutive three-pointers. Barrie’s performance improved her three- point shooting percentage to 60 on the season, averaging five three-point attempts per game.
With a quick jumper from Duffy to kick off the second half, the Cardinals looked to keep their momentum swing from the previous quarter alive.
However, Ohio Dominican was not out. After a layup by Alexa Fisher gave the Panthers their first lead of the second half, the team began to keep pace with the Lady Cards, as ODU went 3-3 on three-point shots for the quarter, enough to knot up the game.
The tail end of the contest was exactly as one would expect given the performances from both squads throughout the night. Action was hard and fast, as basket after basket poured in from both sides early.
The fourth quarter largely stayed back-and- forth until senior guard Hannah Settingsgaard was able to inch the Cardinals ahead 70-68 going into the final minute of play with a trio of free throws.
Both teams were geared up to make the play of the game after those free throws, and tension rose further as the lead was sliced to one after Panther Olivia Fox split a pair of free throws.
The Cardinals found themselves with the ball back with only 13 seconds left and a one point lead on the line. Settingsgaard had a chance to push the lead to three after an intentional foul, but both free throws were off the mark, giving ODU the chance they needed.
With 12 seconds left, the Panthers took a timeout and executed right out of it, as Fisher was able to knock down a three with only three seconds left, giving the Panthers a 72-70 lead that they would hold until the end.
Duffy and Barrie carried the team through the contest, combining for 46 of SVSU’s 70 points. Duffy shined all-around, shooting an impressive 61 percent from the floor while Barrie lit up the stat sheet behind the line, going 5-7 from downtown. Duffy also managed to pull down 16 rebounds, giving her a double-double for the night.
The team will look to grab their first victory as their opening homestand comes to a close against Michigan Tech on Thursday, Nov. 29, at 6 p.m., and again against Northern Michigan on Saturday, Dec. 1, at 1 p.m.
