This story was written by NMU Sports Information

SAGINAW---The Northern Michigan women's basketball team's season came to a close in the GLIAC tournament quarterfinals at Saginaw Valley State Tuesday night.

The GLIAC North Champion Cardinals downed the Wildcats, 62-45, at O'Neill Arena to advance to the semifinals. 

With 1:44 remaining in the first quarter, Bre Gaspervich made a jump shot to draw Northern Michigan within two, at 12-10. Saginaw Valley State responded with a 9-0 run that ended at 7:44 of the second quarter to build a 21-10 advantage.

The Wildcats roared back, pulling back within two, at 23-21, on the strength of an 11-2 run highlighted by Gaspervich and Tess Weatherly three-point shots.

After scoring the second quarter's final five points, the Cardinals ultimately carried a 28-21 edge into the locker room.

By the 5:52 mark of the third quarter, Saginaw Valley State had opened up a 13-point, 40-27, advantage. Darby Youngstrom drew Northern Michigan within nine, at 45-36, by sinking a layup with 1:37 left in that frame.

Youngstrom later pulled the Wildcats within nine, at 47-38, with 9:17 remaining in regulation, but that was as close as they would come. By the 4:35 mark, the Cardinals had built their largest lead of the game, at 57-38.

Youngstrom (17) and Gaspervich (13) led Northern Michigan's offense. The duo also tied for the team high in rebounds (7).

Gaspervich wrapped up her Wildcat career with 1,028 points, good for 25th in school history.

Northern Michigan shot 29.1 percent from the floor, 21.4 from three and 76.9 from the charity stripe.

Hannah Settingsgaard (14) and Emily Wendling (12) scored in the double digits for Saginaw Valley State. Anna Hall had a game-best 13 rebounds.

The Wildcats wrapped up the 2016-17 season with a 17-12 (12-9 GLIAC) record. They went 10-3 at the Berry Events Center, which included a commanding 66-55 win over rival Michigan Tech on Jan. 30.