CHICAGO – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team dropped a 64-52 decision at Roosevelt University on Thursday evening from the Goodman Center.
The Cardinals (4-9, 2-3 GLIAC) led after the opening quarter, but the Lakers used a big second period to take control and carried the momentum through the middle two quarters to secure the win.
Megan McCalla (Chelsea, Mich. / Chelsea HS) led SVSU with 19 points, while Lydia Meredith (Portland, Mich. / Portland St. Patrick's HS) added nine points and eight assists to go with four steals. Kaitlyn Geurink (Hamilton, Mich. / Hamilton HS) finished with eight points and six rebounds, and Lauren Borsenik (Hemlock, Mich. / Hemlock HS) chipped in five points and three blocks.
SVSU came out sharp defensively and built a 10-7 edge after one, holding Roosevelt to 2-of-15 shooting in the opening frame. The game swung in the second quarter as Roosevelt found rhythm offensively and won the period 19-12. SVSU briefly grabbed the lead midway through the quarter, highlighted by a Meredith layup that put the Cardinals in front 18-17, but Roosevelt answered and took a 26-22 advantage into the break.
Roosevelt widened the gap in the third, outscoring SVSU 22-15 to push the lead to 48-37. The Cardinals kept battling in the fourth and trimmed the deficit late—Borsenik knocked down a three with just over two minutes remaining to pull SVSU within 59-50—but Roosevelt closed the door at the line to finish off the 64-52 result.
SVSU shot 21-of-55 from the field and 4-of-17 from three, while Roosevelt went 7-of-22 from deep and 17-of-21 at the free throw line. The Lakers also held a 47-28 rebounding advantage, including 18 offensive boards.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley continues GLIAC play on Saturday, January 10 when they head to Kenosha, Wisconsin to take on Parkside. The Cardinals and Rangers are set for a 2:00 PM tip-off from De Simone Arena.
