UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team opened the 2020-21 season with a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference showdown with Grand Valley State University Friday at the James E. O'Neill Arena.
The contest was the first SVSU intercollegiate competition of the 2020-21 academic year.
The Cardinals and Lakers battled through a tight first half as both teams looked to find their form. GVSU (1-0, 1-0 GLIAC) took control in the third quarter and held off the home team for a 66-51 win, dropping SVSU to 0-1 overall and 0-1 in the GLIAC to start the season.
Sophomore Kaitlyn Zarycki led the Cardinals with 13 points on 6-of-12 shooting, adding three steals and three rebounds. Junior Maddie Barrie added 12 points, while junior Maddie Maloney recorded 11 points, three steals and a team-high seven rebounds.
SVSU shot 18-of-55 (32.7 percent) from the field, 6-of-23 (26.1 percent) from deep and 9-of-10 (90 percent) from the line. The Cardinals totaled nine assists, 11 steals and 21 turnovers, while being outrebounded by the Lakers 36-30.
Emily Spitzley paced GVSU with a near double-double, finishing with 17 points and nine rebounds, both game highs. The Lakers shot 25-of-58 from the field, 3-of-14 from deep and 13-of-18 from the line, while totaling 16 assists, 10 steals and 16 turnovers.
The Cardinals host the Lakers for the finale of the two-game weekend series at 3 pm Saturday at the James E. O'Neill Arena.
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