UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team pulled away from Parkside late in an 85-77 win. The Cardinals (10-9, 4-7 GLIAC) made 24 of 28 free throws to defeat the Rangers (8-10, 3-8 GLIAC) and halt a five-game skid.
"With the losing streak that we had been on, for us to continue to come to practice and continue to work and battle adversity day after day," said head coach Chris Fowler. "I give a lot of credit to these guys for how they continued to show up to the gym and put their best foot forward, and we got rewarded for it tonight."
Meijer Player of the Game Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich. / Brother Rice HS) led SVSU with 28 points. He shot 9-for-15 from the floor and made all seven of his free throws.
Parkside started the game with a 5-0 run that spanned the first three minutes of the contest. Thomas made a driving layup, and Dontez Scott II (Romulus, Mich. / Summit Academy North) hit a shot from three on the next possession to cut the deficit to two points.
Scott II finished that game with 12 points and a team-high two assists in the winning effort.
Later in the half, the Rangers went on a 6-0 run to lead 18-13 with under 10 minutes left. The gap widened to 10 points after Parkside's Paxton Warden converted a fast-break layup, putting the score at 34-24.
In response, Jack Stefanski (Frankfort, Mich. / Western Michigan University) hit a three-pointer that sparked a 13-2 Cardinals run. This surge gave SVSU a 37-36 lead with 1:52 before halftime.
SVSU maintained the lead into halftime, entering the locker room ahead 42-39.
Thomas scored 13 of his 28 points in the first half to lead the team. Saginaw Valley outscored Parkside 11-2 in fast breaks and 17-10 off the bench.
The Rangers hit a three-pointer to begin the second half and tied the game at 42 points in the opening 20 seconds of the second half.
Shortly after, Kevonne Taylor (Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park HS) sank two free throws to initiate a 6-0 run, reclaiming the lead with 14:26 left. Taylor contributed 13 points, six rebounds, and four blocks in total.
SVSU kept its six-point lead through much of the half, but a 7-0 Rangers run gave the visitors a 67-66 advantage with just under seven minutes to play.
Parkside then used a 6-0 run to push its lead to 73-68 with 5:12 remaining.
The score remained close down the stretch, with the gap staying around one possession until the Cardinals scored the final eight points of the game to earn the win.
Marquese Josephs (Mississauga, Ontario / Western Michigan University) was the last of four Cardinals to collect double-digit points with 12 while pulling down three rebounds.
UP NEXT: Saginaw Valley State remains at home to host Roosevelt on Saturday at 3:00 p.m. (ET).
