UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University women's basketball team celebrated Senior Day in style Saturday afternoon, defeating Davenport 96-82 inside James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena.
Prior to tipoff, the Cardinals honored six seniors in Emma Dziezgowski (Bethel Park, Pa. / Bethel Park HS), Lydia Meredith (Portland, Mich. / Portland St. Patrick's HS), Elizabeth Stuart (Medina, Ohio / Medina HS), Lauren Sollom (Hartland, Mich. / Hartland HS), Maggie Keinsley (Fort Wayne, Ind. / Homestead HS), and Bella Paradowski (Melbourne, Australia / CRC Sydenham) for their contributions to the program.
Meijer Player of the Game, Megan McCalla (Chelsea, Mich. / Chelsea HS) led Saginaw Valley with 18 points, shooting 5-of-11 from the field and 8-of-10 at the free throw line, while adding four rebounds and three assists. Dziezgowski tallied 16 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including 4-of-6 from three-point range. Kaitlyn Geurink (Hamilton, Mich. / Hamilton HS) finished with 14 points and four rebounds, and Meredith showed success on both sides of the ball with 13 points, nine assists, and snagged seven rebounds. Stuart knocked down a perfect 3-of-3 from beyond the arc for nine points, while Laynie Meredith (Portland, Mich. / Portland St. Patrick's HS) added seven off the bench.
Saginaw Valley came out firing in the opening half, shooting 68.4 percent in the first quarter and 64.3 percent in the second to build a commanding lead. Dziezgowski opened the scoring with a layup, and Stuart buried a pair of early three-pointers to spark a 14-5 run. Meredith added an and-one during the surge, and Geurink and Chloe Kilbride (Perrysburg, Ohio / Perrysburg HS) connected from deep as the Cardinals poured in 35 first-quarter points. In the second quarter, Dziezgowski hit back-to-back triples, Stuart added another three, and Paradowski and Lauren Borsenik (Hemlock, Mich. / Hemlock HS) scored inside to push the advantage to 58-33 at halftime.
Davenport responded with a 30-point third quarter, knocking down six three-pointers in the frame as they trimmed the deficit to 75-63 entering the fourth. McCalla answered with steady production at the free throw line and in the paint, while Meredith and Geurink added key baskets to halt the momentum. In the final quarter, McCalla scored nine points, and Geurink and Dziezgowski each added late buckets to help the Cardinals maintain control and close out the 96-82 victory.
Saginaw Valley shot 58.6 percent (34-of-58) from the field and 44.0 percent (11-of-25) from three-point range while going 17-of-22 (77.3 percent) at the free throw line. The Cardinals held a 37-34 rebounding edge and dished out 20 assists on 34 made field goals. SVSU scored 44 points in the paint and 36 bench points in the win. Davenport finished 27-of-69 (39.1 percent) from the floor and 10-of-27 (37.0 percent) from beyond the arc.
Up Next: Saginaw Valley women's basketball heads on the road to play Purdue Northwest on Thursday, February 26 and Wayne State on Saturday, February 28. The Cardinals need to win won more game than both Davenport and Lake Superior State to make the playoffs. The Panthers play Grand Valley and Ferris State while The Lakers play Wayne State and Purdue Northwest as well.
