CHICAGO – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball program started their final road trip of the regular season against Roosevelt Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (12-12, 6-10 GLIAC) had a slow start as the Lakers (9-12, 7-8 GLIAC) jumped ahead and didn't look back, winning 66-63.

A 21-8 first quarter lead was nearly wiped away as SVSU outscored RU in the second 20-11 and in the fourth 18-15, but the Cardinals could never tie the game. Twenty-two turnovers for Saginaw Valley led to 28 points off of turnovers for Roosevelt. The Cardinals did outshoot the Lakers 47.1% to 34.4% from the floor and 80.0% to 70.0% from the free throw line, but Roosevelt won the rebound game 38-34 including 17 offensive boards.

Lydia Meredith and Ava Locklear led the game in scoring as both put up 20 points, a career-high for Meredith who shot 80.0% from the floor. She added six rebounds, three assists, and two steals as well. Locklear ended with her third double-double with 10 rebounds, the third time that she's hauled in 10 boards this season.

Saginaw Valley didn't find the bottom of the net for the first five minutes of the game as Roosevelt jumped out to a big lead with a 15-0 run. A 6-3 run at the end of the quarter got the scoring started for SVSU and cut into the lead heading into the second. Meredith started doing it all offensively hitting a three and a pair of free throws to bring the deficit into single digits. A three from Locklear paired with a bucket from Megan McCalla and Aleshia Jones brought it within four as the Cardinals were down 26-22. Both teams added six points with Maggie Keinsley scoring at the end of the half to make it 32-28 Roosevelt heading into the break.

The Lakers extended their lead back to 10 in the third before a response came from the Cardinals. Locklear attacked in the paint and Meredith from three-point range bringing the game to 51-43 before Lainey Yater finished the quarter with a driving layup off a steal to make it a six-point game. The momentum was shifting back towards Saginaw Valley as they brought the game within three multiple times. Two Locklear free throws made it 59-57 with 1:44 remaining but a three to answer became the dagger. Down by five, Meredith hit a shot to end the game as the Cardinals fall in back-to-back games by three.

Up Next: Saginaw Valley heads to the west side of the state next week. The Cardinals tip-off against Davenport on Thursday, February 20 at 5:30 PM before heading to No. 1 Grand Valley State for a 1:00 PM tip on Saturday, February 22.