Posted: Jan 22, 2026
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team fell in a close game to Lake Superior State, 71-65, at O'Neill Arena. The Cardinals (9-8, 3-6) and Lakers were never distanced by more than 10 points.
"I think we competed pretty hard from start to finish," head coach Chris Fowler said. "I think we did a pretty good job of guarding them in the half-court. We just didn't finish possession the way we should have. The effort was there, it's just some of the execution and the little things that have to continue to improve."
Meijer Player of the Game, Dontez Scott II (Romulus, Mich. / Romulus HS), led the team with 14 points, four assists, and three steals in the effort. He shot 3-of-6 from three and 4-of-9 from the floor.
SVSU was efficient from the field in the first half, shooting 50%, 41.7% from three. Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich. / Brother Rice HS) led the team in the first half with seven points without missing a shot. Scott II had six points at the break, with all of his points coming on threes. There were only seven combined fouls in the first half. Kevonne Taylor (Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park HS) converted on the only two free throws in that time. The Cardinals trailed 32-29 at halftime.
The second half got off to a fast start, with LSSU going up 52-42. Saginaw Valley responded quickly with a seven-point run, cutting the deficit to three. Aidan Duran (Spring, Texas / Victory Rock Prep) led the team in the second half with nine points, with Scott II following closely with eight. Bryson Huckeby (Freeland, Mich. / Freeland HS) led the team with nine rebounds. The Cardinals brought the Lake Superior State lead down to two with 90 seconds remaining, but the Lakers were able to hit free throws down the stretch to hold off the comeback and win, 71-65.
The game was very tightly contested, with the Cardinals having one more rebound, one more turnover, and two more second-chance points. LSSU had two more assists and six more points in the paint. Both teams had the same amount of points off turnovers, with 19.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals have Saturday off before they play at Ferris State on Monday at 7:30 PM (ET) at Jim Wink Arena.
