GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team closed the regular season with the second of two games in two days at Davenport University Saturday in Grand Rapids, Mich.

The Cardinals jumped out to a 29-16 lead after the first half and held off the Panthers late to earn a 56-49 win to even their season record at 9-9 overall and 9-9 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

The win is the fifth in six games for the Cardinals who are hitting their stride as the team enters the postseason. The streak has pushed SVSU into the No. 4 seed and a first-round bye for the GLIAC Tournament, which was seeded based on the points rating system for this season.

"Our transition game has picked up and when we are able to get out and run it opens a lot of things up," SVSU Head Coach Jenny Pruett said. "We are playing our roles really well."

Tori DePerry led SVSU with 19 points on 6-of-9 shooting from the field and 7-of-7 at the line, while narrowly missing a double-double with nine rebounds off the bench.

"Everyone on the team has played a lot of minutes this season, so we need to get contributions from everyone," Pruett said. "Tori being the strongest player on the court and finishing at the rim is important. Her confidence is great right now and I am very proud of the way she is playing."

Maddie Maloney added 12 points and four assists, while Maddie Barrie recorded a double-double with 10 points and 10 rebounds.

The Cardinals shot 21-of-55 from the field, 5-of-24 from deep, and 9-of-9 at the line, finishing with 14 assists, four steals, and 16 turnovers.

Courtney McInerney was the lone Panther to score in double figures, finishing with a team-high 10 points.

The No. 4 seed Cardinals travel to the host site of the GLIAC Postseason Tournament at Purdue-Northwest. SVSU will play in the quarterfinals on Thursday against the winner of the No. 5 Wayne State University and No. 12 Lake Superior State University.