Posted: Dec 13, 2025
ERIE, Pa. — The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team fell to No. 15 Gannon on the road on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (6-2) were stymied by a tough Golden Knights (7-1) defense and could not keep pace in a 95-67 defeat.
"Their style of play is so different than anything we have played this year. I think it was a really good lesson for myself and the basketball team for us to continue where we want to go this year," said SVSU head coach Chris Fowler. "We are going to use it the right way and use it to propel us in the right direction."
Meijer Player of the Game Marquese Josephs (Mississauga, Ontario) led SVSU with 13 points, three rebounds, and two assists.
Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich.) opened the scoring with a jumper, followed by Dontez Scott II (Romulus, Mich.) with a driving layup before Gannon used a 9-0 run to take an 11-4 lead.
From there, the Golden Knights extended their advantage, heading into halftime with a 49-27 lead.
After Thomas hit another jumper, SVSU narrowed the gap to five points. However, Gannon answered with a 5-0 run to widen their lead to 16-6 with just over 15 and a half minutes remaining in the first half. Gannon increased its lead throughout the half, capitalizing on 15 second-chance points and forcing 22 SVSU turnovers, which led to 27 points.
Despite the deficit, SVSU shot 45.8% from the floor, but went 0-for-3 from beyond the arc. The Cardinals also pulled down 23 rebounds, two better than the Knights.
The game's crucial stretch in the second half saw Gannon's pressure again forcing turnovers that translated into points, preventing any sustained SVSU comeback, and extending the Golden Knights' lead further.
Aidan Duran (Spring, Texas / Victory Rock Prep) had a great game for the Cardinals, finishing with 12 points on 5-of-8 shooting, including both of his attempts from deep, off the bench.
Jack Stefanski (Frankfort, Mich.) added nine points (3-of-3 from beyond the arc). Triston Nichols (Shelby Twp., Mich. / De La Salle HS) finished with seven points and seven rebounds off the bench as well. Kevonne Taylor (Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park HS), Thomas, and Scott II each had six points. Bryson Huckeby (Freeland, Mich.) had a team-high eight rebounds while adding five points.
UP NEXT: Saginaw Valley State men's hoops returns home for a meeting with Kuyper this Tuesday, December 16, at 6:00 p.m. (ET).
