The Saginaw Valley women’s basketball program reached the 20-win plateau for the first time since 1998.
But the Lady Cardinals won’t be satisfied with just that; they want to add to that number.
With seven wins in their last eight games, SVSU enters this year’s GLIAC Tournament with momentum.
Head coach Jamie Pewinski said this year’s success can be credited to the team’s health and work ethic.
“There is a lot different with this team than in past years,” she said. “First, we have stayed relatively healthy, which wasn’t the case before. Second, our will to win and will to prepare is a lot different than it has been in the past.
“Mostly, we are tired of losing and wanted to do whatever it took to be in a position to have the outcome in our favor,” she added. “We got tougher mentally, prepared better and used our past experiences to help build our confidence. All of that has showed on the court in games and allowed us to have favorable outcomes at the end of games.”
Entering her third GLIAC Tournament since joining the program as head coach in 2011, Pewinski said this year is all about the mindset of the team.
“We have to keep our emotions as steady as we can and stick to the game plan on both ends of the floor,” she said. “Our mindset has been to focus on each possession in front of us and to make sure we each do our job. When we do those things, we are a very good team.”
Junior Emily Wendling reiterated what her coach said, adding that the key to victory in the tournament is focusing on the here and now.
“To advance in the tournament, we just need to focus on the game right in front of us,” she said. “We don’t want to get caught looking ahead. In the postseason, every team is really good, and we can’t take anyone lightly.
“We are really focused on playing our game, and sticking to what got us here,” she added.
SVSU will host Northwood in the GLIAC Tournament quarterfinals Tuesday, March 1.
The game, scheduled for 6 p.m., will be the third time the two teams have matched up this season.
The Lady Cardinals swept the Timberwolves in the regular season.
