UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team fell for the first time on its home court for the 2013-14 season to the visiting Malone University Pioneers by a score of 70-60.

After SVSU grabbed an early 2-0 lead, the Pioneers scored six consecutive points to take a four point edge at 6-2 at the 18:33 mark.

Malone kept the lead until the 15:40 marker, when senior guard Kayla Womack made good on a pair of free throws to tie the game at 11-11.  The Cardinals held a brief lead after senior guard Kristen Greene drilled a three-pointer with 12:27 left in the half to make the score 16-15.

From there, Malone went on a 12-0 run that gave it a 27-16 lead with 9:36 left in the opening period.

The Lady Cardinals would respond, however, and score 15 of the next 22 points to cut the deficit to just three points heading into the halftime break, trailing 34-31.

Womack led all scorers in the first half with 12 points and three rebounds.  Sophomore guard Katelyn Carriere added six points, adding three rebounds as well.

SVSU quickly tied things up 19 seconds into the second frame when Carriere nailed a triple to knot the score at 34.

The Cards led by as many as six points twice and held the lead until Malone tied the score at 48-48 with 11:39 left in the contest.

After the teams traded short-lived leads, the Pioneers held onto a lead and held on to claim a 10 point victory over Saginaw Valley, 70-60.

Womack finished with a game-high 15 points and four rebounds while being named the Meijer "Player of the Game."

Greene finished with 14 points and six rebounds while Carriere posted 13 points and five boards.  Junior forward Samantha Zirzow added 11 points and a team-high seven rebounds.

Saginaw Valley shot 42.0% from the floor compared to 38.4% for Malone and held a 34-31 advantage in total rebounds.

The Pioneers capitalized with 21 points off of 20 Cardinal turnovers, as SVSU managed just seven points off nine Malone mishaps.  Malone also held a commanding 25-5 edge in bench points.

The loss drops SVSU to 5-3 overall and 3-2 in the GLIAC.  Malone improves to 7-4 overall and 2-3 in league play.

The Lady Cardinals return to action on Saturday (Jan. 4) in another GLIAC matchup, this one against the Walsh University Cavaliers.  Tip-off is set for 1:00 pm in SVSU's O'Neill Arena.