UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball program hosted Parkside Saturday afternoon and we're looking to start a three-game winning streak. The Cardinals (8-6, 2-4 GLIAC) fell to the Rangers (10-3, 5-1 GLIAC) 72-60 as Parkside is now 9-1 on the road this season.
Meijer Player of the Game, Megan McCalla led with 18 points and sits second in the GLIAC in scoring. Ava Locklear was just behind her with 14 points and five rebounds as Lydia Meredith had an all-around performance with 13 points, eight rebounds, five assists, and three steals. One of the key points of the game was SVSU's free throw shooting as they were 3-15 from the charity stripe.
Saginaw Valley started strong holding Parkside to 0-6 shooting at the first media timeout. The Cardinals had taken advantage of the lack of scoring from the Rangers, jumping out to a 13-4 lead with McCalla scoring six of the 13 points. Both teams put up five points more points before the quarter as SVSU doubled up UWP 18-9. The Rangers came out hot in the second using a 13-0 run to take their first lead 22-20. Both teams battled with Meredith hitting a jumper and a free throw to cut the Rangers lead to one before halftime.
Threes started to fall for both teams in the third as the Rangers pushed to an eight-point lead before Maggie Keinsley drained one from behind the arc to make it 40-35 UWP. A 7-2 Parkside run extended the lead to 10 before a layup in the final minute of the third made it 51-39 heading into the final quarter of play. The visitors pushed their lead to 20 near the halfway point of the quarter before a final push from Saginaw Valley. A 10-2 run with five points from Meredith made it 65-53 with a few minutes remaining. Back-to-back Meredith layups cut it to 10 points, but the Rangers used free throws late to keep their lead. Aleshia Jones converted on a jumper and the foul to make it 70-60 before another pair of points from the line for Parkside wrapped up the scoring.
Head coach Jenny Pruett had this to say after the loss,
"We didn't face adversity together as a team and that's one of the biggest things we have to learn. When things are going well, we're really good about that but when we're facing adversity, we have to be better as a team."
Up Next: Saginaw Valley women's basketball heads up north next week to face Michigan Tech and No. 24 Northern Michigan. Tip-off against the Huskies on Thursday, January 16 is set for 5:30 PM EST from SDC Gymnasium in Houghton, Michigan. The Cardinals then head to the Berry Events Center in Marquette, Michigan to face the Wildcats at 1:00 PM EST on Saturday, January 18.
