UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team battled back from several deficits but ultimately fell 57–53 to the University of Findlay on Saturday afternoon at James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena.
The Cardinals (0–2) trailed by just one at halftime and led 40–39 heading into the fourth quarter, but the Oilers closed the game with an 18–13 run to hand SVSU its second straight narrow loss to open the season.
Megan McCalla (Chelsea, Mich. / Chelsea HS) led the Cardinals with 16 points and nine rebounds on 6-of-17 shooting. Meijer Player of the Game, Kaitlyn Geurink (Hamilton, Mich. / Hamilton HS), and Lauren Borsenik (Hemlock, Mich. / Hemlock HS) each added 11 points, with the freshman Geurink collecting eight rebounds, two assists, and a steal.
Head coach Jenny Pruett said this about Geurink's performance,
"She's playing really well. She's finding herself out there. As a freshman, I know it's hard to figure some things out on the fly, but she's a student of the game. She watches film, she does well, she picks things up pretty easily. Just really proud of her as a freshman to come in and make some really big plays for us."
Bella Paradowski (Melbourne, Australia / CRC Sydenham) contributed eight points, seven rebounds, and two blocks, while Lainey Yater (McDonald, Pa. / South Fayette HS) tallied three assists and three rebounds in 38 minutes.
Findlay's Alyssa Ziehler recorded a double-double with 14 points and nine rebounds, and Addisyn Freeman scored 12 points with seven boards.
The Cardinals dominated inside, scoring 40 of their 53 points in the paint and out-rebounding the Oilers 44–40. However, SVSU was limited by 16 turnovers that turned into 16 points for Findlay while the Cardinals scored five points off the Oilers 12 turnovers.
The game was tight throughout with six ties and seven lead changes. The Cardinals led 47–46 early in the fourth before Findlay went on a 6–0 run to take control. A late jumper by McCalla cut the deficit to two with seven seconds remaining, but Findlay hit two free throws to seal the win.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley is back at home on Tuesday, November 18 when they host Drury for an 11:00 AM kids' game. It's the first game between the Cardinals and Panthers since November 23, 2021.
