SAULT STE. MARIE, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball program travelled to the Upper Peninsula to face Lake Superior State Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (7-5, 1-3 GLIAC) defeated the Lakers (4-8, 1-3 GLIAC) with a final score of 67-53.

Saginaw Valley was led by Megan McCalla with 25 points as she shot 56.3% from the floor and 7-9 from the charity stripe. Aleshia Jones followed with 16 points and eight rebounds while Saniaa Walker posted a career high 10 rebounds. As a team, SVSU shot 46.2% and outrebounds LSSU 39 to 30. The Cardinals led ever since their first basket made 52 seconds into the contest.

A 13-0 run started the game for SVSU as Ava Locklear hit a three to start and McCalla followed with three buckets. A 6-2 run extended the lead to 13 as Locklear and McCalla got shots to fall along with two free throws from Maggie Keinsley to make it 19-6. The Cardinals kept the 13-point lead heading into the second up 21-8. The lead bloomed to 22 points in the second as McCalla added a pair of layups. After cutting into the lead, Jones hit the final shot of the half to send Saginaw Valley back to the locker room up by 20.

A Lakers resurgence came in the third quarter as they cut the lead to 40-25. The Cardinals responded with a 14-2 run over the next five minutes as McCalla was responsible for nine of the points with Jones hitting a three and Lydia Meredith laying in the other two. A Jones jumper in the fourth quarter put SVSU ahead 58-29, the 29-point lead being their largest of the game. That's when LSSU started to claw back. A 10-1 run made it a 20-point game before an 11-2 run brought it to 66-50 Saginaw Valley. The fight from Lake State was too late as Keinsley hit a free throw followed by a Lakers three to make it 67-53 before the clock hit zero.

Up Next: Saginaw Valley gets their first GLIAC win after three losses, two to nationally ranked opponents including No. 1 Grand Valley, and they head home for the first time in 2025. The Cardinals host Purdue Northwest on Thursday, January 9. Tip-off from James E. O'Neill Arena is set for 5:30 PM.