MIDLAND, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball fell at Northwood University by an 86-72 margin in a win or go home scenario in the final contest of the season.
Senior Brett Beland (Menominee, Mich.) got the Cardinals (12-13, 10-12 GLIAC) started off on the right foot Saturday afternoon as he scored eight of their first 11 points to give SVSU a four-point edge at the 16:04 mark of the first half.
Saginaw Valley extended their advantage to 26-19 with seven minutes to play in the half after Chris Webb (Saginaw, Mich. / Arthur Hill) connected on a pair of free throws.
The Timberwolves (13-13, 12-10 GLIAC) battled back with a 10-2 run over the next few minutes to bring the two rivals even at halftime, 33-33.
Northwood came out firing on all cylinders as they opened the second half by going on a 14-2 run to take a 48-35 lead with 15 minutes to play.
Damon Bozeman (Detroit, Mich. / Madison Heights) kept Saginaw Valley within nine points after converting on an and-1 opportunity with 11:02 to play in the contest.
However, the Cardinals were unable to inch any closer as Northwood shot 64 percent in the second half to pick up the 86-72 victory. SVSU is eliminated from GLIAC Tournament contention with the loss, while Northwood advances.
Saginaw Valley was led by Meijer 'Player of the Game' Damon Bozeman who posted a game-high 23 points and five rebounds, while senior Brett Beland finished with 19 points in his final game as a Cardinal.
Senior Chris Webb posted 13 points in 39 minutes of action in his final contest of an impressive SVSU career.
The Cardinals finish the season with an overall record of 12-13 and 10-12 in conference play under first year head coach Randy Baruth.
