UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball program hosted Ferris State for senior day on Saturday. Saginaw Valley honored two seniors on Saturday with Saniaa Walker and Aleshia Jones. The Cardinals (15-13, 9-11 GLIAC) defeated the Bulldogs (19-10, 13-7 GLIAC) in their final game of the regular season 70-67. With the win, SVSU clinches the seventh seed in the GLIAC and heads to Northern Michigan for the first round of the GLIAC tournament next week.
Meijer Player of the Game, Megan McCalla, led with 24 points shooting 9-17 from the floor. Lydia Meredith followed with 15 points, five rebounds, and five steals, including a crucial steal in the final seconds of the game. She also shot 3-6 from three, both career highs. Ava Locklear recorded her sixth double-double with 11 points and 10 rebounds. Walker scored nine points and added four rebounds and Jones followed with eight points and six rebounds. Maggie Keinsley added the final three points and had four rebounds as well. SVSU outshot FSU 43.6% from the floor to 39.7%. The Cardinals were outrebounded 38-33 but caused five more turnovers, leading 17-12 in that category.
SVSU started hot with a 9-2 run with a Meredith three, two jumpers from Locklear, and one from McCalla. Ferris State responded with a 15-2 run to take a 17-11 lead. A Walker layup plus the and-one cut the game to three at the end of the first. Both teams traded buckets in the second with Keinsley and McCalla hitting threes to cut the lead to one. Layups and free throws for both the Cardinals and Bulldogs traded one-point leads and left Ferris State with a 32-31 lead at the half.
FSU extended their lead to nine in the third quarter. A pair of threes from Meredith helped cut the deficit to two. Ferris State added a free throw on to take a three-point lead into the final frame. A scoring drought for both teams struck as the Bulldogs outscored the Cardinals 5-3 in the first seven minutes. Clutch layups came from McCalla down the stretch fueled a 10-0 run capped off by free throws by Meredith to make it 69-66. Both teams hit one more shot from the charity stripe as SVSU completed the comeback.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley women's basketball hopped Michigan Tech in the conference standings as the Huskies fell to Parkside on Saturday. The Cardinals head to Northern Michigan for the first round of the GLIAC tournament on Wednesday, March 5. Tip-off is set for 5:30 PM EST from the Vandement Arena in Marquette, Michigan.
