Posted: Nov 19, 2025
ROMEOVILLE, Ill. — The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team extended its undefeated start to the season, defeating Lewis 72–60 on the road Wednesday night. The Cardinals (3-0) dominated wire-to-wire inside Neil Carey Arena and earned the first 3-0 start for the program since 2016-17.
Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich. / Toledo) delivered a standout performance. He scored 17 points on 7-of-13 shooting, including three makes from beyond the arc. He added five rebounds, two steals, and a block, and finished with a team-best +12 on the stat sheet.
SVSU established the tone early with a strong first half, shooting 48.4% from the field and building a 36–26 advantage into the break. The Cardinals' defensive pressure and relentless pursuit on the glass proved decisive as they out-rebounded Lewis 40–23 overall and generated 19 second-chance points compared to just 10 for the Flyers.
SVSU continued to soar in the second half as Thomas drilled a three-point shot to put the Cardinals ahead 44-33 at the first media timeout.
The lead grew from there when Aidan Duran (Spring, Texas / Victory Rock Prep) made a layup. Bryson Huckeby (Freeland, Mich. / Anderson) followed with a tip-in to build a 15-point lead, 59-44, at the eight-minute media stoppage.
Dontez Scott II (Romulus, Mich. / Summit Academy North) caught fire and made three-straight shots from beyond the arc to give Saginaw Valley its largest lead of the game, 70-53, with just under four minutes remaining in regulation.
SVSU finished the night shooting 44.1% from the floor and 34.6% from three (9–26), while holding Lewis to 22.7% from deep.
Scott II scored a game-high 18 points (6-of-16, 4-of-8 from three) with five rebounds.
Marquese Josephs (Mississauga, Ontario / Western Michigan) paced the offense effectively, posting a 10-point, 6-assist performance while grabbing five rebounds and committing just two turnovers.
Huckeby led with eight rebounds, four assists, four points, and two steals. Kevonne Taylor (Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park HS) recorded five points and five boards.
Duran was highly efficient, going 3-of-3 from the field for eight points and grabbing five rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals return home to host Alma on Saturday, November 22, at 3:00 p.m. (ET).