Posted: Jan 31, 2026
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team swept the season series against Roosevelt with a 91-80 win on Saturday afternoon. The Cardinals (11-9, 5-7 GLIAC) relied on good shooting to overcome 24 turnovers while allowing the Lakers (2-17, 1-11 GLIAC) 35 attempts from the free throw line.
"I think we played with good energy. We had some excellent shot-making today, shooting 53% from the field and 44% from three. That is back-to-back games in which we have made shots, something that we hadn't done well over the course of the streak when we were losing. There are some things to correct, but a win is a win, and we are going to take it."
Meijer Player of the Game Kevonne Taylor (Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park HS) was three blocks away from recording a triple-double after he hauled down a career-high in rebounds with 13 and matched his season-high, 13 points in the contest.
SVSU started with a 5-0 run, leading 9-2 after three minutes. Roosevelt closed the gap to 11-10 before tying it at 19 with 10:10 left in the half.
The Cardinals hopped back out to a five-point lead (24-19), but the Lakers continued to battle back and tie the game again at 26 with just over 5:30 left on the clock in the first. An SVSU turnover led to a fastbreak layup for Roosevelt, and RU held its first lead on the next possession.
Taylor made both of his free throws to knot things back up at 28 and started a 12-2 run that finished the half and put Saginaw Valley back on top, 43-31, as the teams entered the locker room.
In the second half, the Lakers continued to force turnovers and battled back to narrow the lead to six points, 53-47, with 13:11 left to play.
Triston Nichols (Shelby twp., Mich. / De La Salle HS) hit a layup, starting an 11-0 run that put the Cardinals up 80-60 with 5:32 left.
Roosevelt cut the lead to 11, but couldn't keep up before time expired.
Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich. / Brother Rice HS) led the Cardinals in scoring with 20 points. Adding to his performance, he also tallied seven rebounds and five assists. Nichols posted a career-high 19 points and came within two assists of a double-double. Meanwhile, Trenton Taratuta (Hillman, Mich. / Hillman HS) contributed 13 points on 4-of-8 three-point shooting and grabbed four rebounds.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals head North to Marquette to face Northern Michigan on Thursday, February 5 at 7:30 p.m. (ET).\
