HOUGHTON, Mich. – After falling behind by as many as 25 points in the first half, the Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team made a furious comeback in the second half, cutting the Michigan Tech lead to just one point in the final minutes of a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest on Thursday in Houghton, Mich.
The Huskies hit a big 3-pointer with 40 seconds to play to hold off the Cardinal rally, topping SVSU 77-71. The loss snaps a five-game win streak and drops SVSU to 17-8 overall and 11-6 in the GLIAC.
How it Happened:
- The Huskies jumped out to an early 15-2 lead after an Owen White layup.
- After another White layup, the Huskies held their biggest lead of the game at 37-12 with 6:46 to play in the first half.
- SVSU chipped away the rest of the half, using a 16-4 run to cut the deficit to 41-28 at the break.
- Delano Smith spurred the Cardinal comeback in the second half, converting a 3-point play just over two minutes into the second half, trimming the MTU lead to 43-36.
- After a Tre Garrett shot was blocked, Darnell Hoskins Jr. gathered the rebound and hit a fade-away jumper to pull SVSU within a single point with 2:15 to play.
- Hoskins Jr. netted a 3-pointer with 1:14 left to bring the Cardinals to within two points, but the Huskies answered with a 3-pointer from Adam Hobson with 40 seconds to go. MTU hit its free throws in the closing seconds to secure the win.
Inside the Box Score:
- Delano Smith led the Cardinals with 27 points on 11-of-20 shooting, hitting four 3-pointers. The reigning GLIAC Player of the Week added six rebounds and two steals.
- Darnell Hoskins Jr. added 17 points.
- Tyler Witz finished with a double-double, including 14 points and 11 rebounds.
- The Cardinals shot 28-of-60 from the field, 6-of-18 from deep, and 9-of-13 at the line.
- MTU was led by Trent Bell with 19 points and seven rebounds. The Huskies outrebounded the Cardinals 34-31.
Up Next:
The Cardinals remain in the Upper Peninsula for a matchup with Northern Michigan University at 3:15 pm on Saturday in Marquette, Mich.
