UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team picked up its first win of the 2025-26 season on Tuesday, defeating Drury University 62–54 at James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena with local schools in attendance for their Kids Game.
The Cardinals (1–2) used a dominant second quarter and a strong defensive performance from start to finish to hand Drury (0–2) its second straight loss and their first ever 0-2 start.
SVSU trailed 17–12 after the opening period but broke the game open with a 24-point second quarter, outscoring Drury by 10 to take a 36–31 halftime lead. The Cardinals forced five turnovers and shot 10-of-14 from the field in the frame, highlighted by a 3-pointer from Lainey Yater (McDonald, Pa. / South Fayette HS) and six points from Megan McCalla (Chelsea, Mich. / Chelsea HS) as the team went on their game-high 11 point run.
In the second half, SVSU held Drury to just eight third-quarter points and maintained control the rest of the way. Drury pulled within three late in the fourth, but the Cardinals sealed the victory with clutch free throws from the Meijer Player of the Game, Lydia Meredith (Portland, Mich. / Portland St. Patrick's HS), who scored eight of SVSU's 16 points in the final quarter.
Head coach Jenny Pruett had this to say about Meredith's performance,
"Lydia is the heart and soul of our team. We go as she goes and when she was out it was hard for us to get that energy. She was able to come back and really fight for us… when you have a senior that has that much passion for the game and her team, you get plays like that…it's fun to watch her compete and watch her raise everyone's level."
Meredith recorded a massive double-double, finishing with 20 points and 12 rebounds, including 7-of-8 at the free-throw line. Kaitlyn Geurink (Hamilton, Mich. / Hamilton HS) added 14 points on 6-of-8 shooting, while McCalla scored 10 points with three rebounds and two assists. Bella Paradowski (Melbourne, Australia / CRC Sydenham) contributed eight points, six rebounds, and two blocks.
The Cardinals shot 35.6% from the floor, were outrebounded for the first time this season 47-41, and forced 16 turnovers. SVSU dominated in transition with 28 fast-break points, while also scoring 34 points in the paint.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley won't be back at O'Neill Arena for an entire month. The Cardinals head on their Hawaii trip and play Gannon and Wingate next week before coming back to the continental United States to open GLIAC play at Davenport and Grand Valley at the start of December. Tip-off times to be determined for the Tuesday, Nov. 25 game against Gannon or the Wednesday, Nov. 26 game against Wingate.
