ALLENDALE, Mich. — Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball earned a big GLIAC win on Saturday, going on the road and taking down nationally ranked No. 19 Grand Valley State, 81–80. The Cardinals (6-1, 1-1 GLIAC) shot a blistering 54.9% from the field and 52% from three, then held off a late Laker (7-1, 1-1 GLIAC) push to secure the one-point victory.

 

"We knew it was going to take 40 minutes of disciplined execution to go out here and get this win against a really good team at home," said head coach Chris Fowler. "I am proud of the guys. I am proud of our preparation. I am proud of our staff. It was a great bounce back from what happened on Thursday."

 

SVSU started strong with a three-point jumper by Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich.) that sparked a quick 5-0 run for the Cardinals in the opening three minutes of play. Triston Nichols (Shelby Twp., Mich. / De La Salle HS) hit a jumper from beyond the arc to extend the advantage to 8-2 before Bryson Huckeyby (Freeland, Mich.) got in on the deep shots to hit a three to build an 11-5 lead at the 15:29 mark of the first half. GVSU trimmed the margin to one point with a 5-0 run before tying things up at 14 with just over 11 minutes left before the break.

 

A layup by Grand Valley ignited a 6-0 run and gave the Lakers the lead with just over nine minutes on the clock. The Cardinals would battle back each time GVSU made a run, and the home team could only maintain a 42-37 lead going into the locker room.

 

Saginaw Valley shot an impressive 56% (14-25) from the floor and made nine threes (9-15) for 60% shooting from deep in the first 20 minutes.

Kevonne Taylor (Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park HS) made a dunk at the 18:03 mark of the second half that trimmed the deficit to one point (45-44) and started a 6-0 run that gave the Cardinals back the lead, 48-45, with just under 17 minutes left in regulation.

 

The teams traded leads from that point until the Lakers made five-straight free throws to take a 62-57 lead at the 10:37 mark. Marquese Josephs (Mississauga, Ontario) made a jumper from three to cut the margin to two, but a 6-1 run by the Lakers kept the advantage for the home team, 69-61, with just under nine to play.

 

Again, SVSU battled back and took the lead off a three-point shot by Nichols and a layup by Thomas to flip the advantage, 74-73, with 4:05 on the clock.

 

The closing minutes would move back and forth until a wild finish that started when Nichols hit a layup to give Saginaw Valley the 80-75 lead with 28 ticks. The Lakers drilled a three-point jumper to fight within two before tying the score with free throws with nine seconds left.

 

A foul on the inbound by GVSU put Josephs on the line, and he made one of two to put the Cardinals ahead by a point (81-80). The Lakers then missed a layup and were forced to foul Thomas, who grabbed the rebound off the miss as time expired, but the officials put half a second back on the game clock.

 

Thomas missed the first free throw and was given a technical foul for intentionally missing the second and punching the ball out of play, putting the Lakers at the line with a chance to tie and get the ball back. The shot was missed, but a turnover on the full-court pass gave the Cardinals the ball back and sealed the upset to give SVSU its first GLIAC win of the season.

 

Four SVSU players scored double-digit points, led by Nichols and Josephs with 17 each. Nichols added two steals and a rebound to his point total off the bench, while Josephs had two blocks, five rebounds, and shot a game-high 10 free throws.

 

Huckeby scored 15 points and was one of three Cardinals with five assists. Thomas was another with five assists and double-digit points with 12. The sophomore transfer from Toledo also added a team-leading three steals and five rebounds to his stat line. Dontez Scott II (Romulus, Mich. / Summit Academy North) scored nine points and was the final part of the trio that had five assists.

 

UP NEXT: The Cardinals complete their four-game road trip next Saturday, December 13, with a game at Gannon in Erie, Pennsylvania. Tip-off against the Knights is scheduled for 3:00 p.m. (ET).