CALIFORNIA, Pa. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team hit the road on Monday (12/21) to play California University of Pennsylvania, and came-out dropping a 70-66 decision to the tenth-ranked team in NCAA Division II.  The loss puts the Cardinals' record at 3-6 overall on the season while the Vulcans improved to 7-1 on the year.

Both teams scored 31 points in the first half, with SVSU leading from the 18:50 mark until the deadlock at halftime.  The Lady Cardinals led by as much as seven points in the opening frame.  Cal would out-score SVSU, 39-35 in the final 20 minutes, though, and preserve the four-point victory.  Saginaw shot 50.0 percent from the floor (24-48), including 41.7 percent from behind the arc (5-12). 

SVSU was led by junior forward Brittany Burkhardt (West Bloomfield, Mich./Walled Lake Central HS), who scored a game-high 26 points and recorded eight rebounds in 37 minutes of action.  Senior forward Jenna Saarela (Saugatuck, Mich./Michigan Tech) had nine points in the game, hitting three out of the six triples she attempted.  Freshman Grace Herzog (Linden, Mich./Powers Catholic HS) also had nine points, and added seven rebounds and five blocks in the game.  Senior Kelley Wesp (Cincinnati, Ohio/Glen Este HS) had nine assists and added five points.

SVSU will be back in action Saturday, Jan. 2, as it welcomes Lake Superior State University to town.  The game is part of an SVSU doubleheader, and is set for a 5:00 pm tip-off.