SAGINAW, Mich. - The Drury Lady Panthers finished their trip to Michigan on Tuesday morning with a 62-54 loss to Saginaw Valley State. The Cardinals improved to 1-2, and Drury dropped to 0-2.

Drury started the game off quickly. The Lady Panthers started the game up 10-3 with four points from Rhi Gibbons and Josie Storey.

By the final minute of the first quarter, Drury grew their lead to ten, 17-7, before ending the first quarter with a 17-12 lead.

Saginaw Valley started the second quarter on a 13-4 run, including an 11-0 spurt in there. The Cardinals took their first lead of the game in the midst of the 11-0 run at the 23-21 point. Seven of the 13 points during the run came from Lydia Meredith.

Drury tied it back up at 25, but the Cardinals closed the first half with an 11-5 run and took a 36-31 advantage into halftime.

Saginaw Valley stayed hot after intermission, starting a 6-2 run to open the half. The run put the Lady Panthers down as much as 11 points. Drury got their deficit down to seven points by the end of the fourth quarter.

Josie Storey made two free throws to start the fourth quarter. Those free throws sparked momentum for the Lady Panthers. With the help of Jazz Gray and Rhi Gibbons, Drury cut the Cardinals' lead from 46-39 to 50-49.

The Lady Panthers stayed in striking distance of the Cardinals for the final five minutes of the game but were unable to regain the lead. The Cardinals' Lydia Meredith scored ten of the final 12 SVSU points to secure the 62-54 win.

GAME NOTES

• The loss marks the first time in program history that Drury has started a season 0-2.
• The win for Saginaw Valley was the program's first-ever win against Drury, now 1-4.
• Sara Mendel recorded her sixth career double-double and Drury's first one of the season, 11 points and 15 rebounds. The 15 rebounds were one short of tying her career high.
• Rhi Gibbons and Josie Storey each went for 14 points.
• Teague Muncy, who was battling the entire game with all-region forward Megan McCalla, pulled down seven rebounds in her second career game.
• Free throws hurt the Lady Panthers. Drury shot 12-23 (52.2%), two days after shooting 57% against Ferris State.
• Two days after being out rebounded by 22, the Lady Panthers responded by grabbing 47 rebounds and winning the battle by seven.
• The Lady Panthers recorded 15 offensive rebounds, the most since February 22, 2025, against Southwest Baptist.
• Drury's defense held Saginaw Valley to 18% from beyond the arc.
• The Lady Panthers' bench contributed 21 points and the Cardinals only got nine from players not in their starting five.
• The game was the Lady Panthers' first time playing in a kids' day game away from the O'Reilly Family Event Center.

UP NEXT
The Lady Panthers return to the O'Reilly Family Event Center Thursday morning, Nov. 20, for the annual Hiland Dairy Kids Day Game against Texas A&M International.

FOLLOW THE LADY PANTHERS
For all the latest information on Drury athletics, please visit drurypanthers.com. For up-to-the-minute updates, follow the Panthers on Instagram, X, and Facebook