Posted: Nov 22, 2025
UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. -- Saginaw Valley State men's basketball improved to 4–0 with a dominant 87–55 win over Alma College on Saturday afternoon at O'Neill Arena. The Cardinals used a powerful second half, stifling defense, and a massive advantage in the paint to pull away for the win.
"I think our team lacked urgency in the beginning, and we lacked the desperation necessary to compete with their level, but when we picked it up, it went great," said SVSU men's basketball head coach Chris Fowler. "[Aidan Duran] came off the bench and gave us a good lift. [Kevonne Taylor] started to give us a good lift, and once that happened, we were able to run away with it."
Duran (Spring, Texas / Victory Rock Prep) had a breakout performance with 21 points, seven rebounds, and three assists, and was named the Meijer Player of the Game. The freshman came off the bench to spark the Cardinals from deep as he finished 4-of-5 from three-point range and 7-of-10 from the floor.
Kevonne Taylor (Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park HS) was dominant in the paint as he scored 10 points while hauling in 11 rebounds for his double-double of the season. Taylor controlled the rim at both ends of the floor with four offensive boards and five blocks in the contest.
Saginaw Valley State got off to a slow start as the Scots fired off a 6-2 lead in the opening two minutes of play. The Cardinals battled back, but Alma kept fighting and stuck with SVSU through the first 15 minutes of the game as the lead changed hands eight times during that stretch. The final change came with Duran's first three-point bucket of the game at the 5:17 mark of the first half that gave the Cardinals a one-point lead and sparked a 9-0 run that ended with SVSU holding a 31-24 advantage with 3:27 left before halftime. The lead grew to 40–27 when the teams entered the locker room at the break.
Saginaw Valley State opened the second half aggressively, scoring the first five points and never looking back from that point on. The Cardinals' defensive pressure forced Alma into 18 turnovers, and SVSU turned them into 17 fast-break points. SVSU dominated the glass, out-rebounding Alma 60–37, including 28 offensive rebounds.
Marquese Josephs (Mississauga, Ontario) orchestrated the offense brilliantly, recording his first double-double as a Cardinal with 11 points and 11 assists. He finished 6-of-9 shooting at the line and tallied four steals. Dontez Scott II (Romulus, Mich. / Romulus HS) tallied 14 points, four rebounds, two assists, and two steals to contribute to the win. Triston Nichols (Shelby Twp., Mich. De La Salle HS) and Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich.) each scored nine points. Nichols added six rebounds and two steals, while Thomas recorded five rebounds and two assists.
UP NEXT: The Cardinals will get a week off before hitting the road to face Ashland on Sunday, November 30 at 1:00 p.m. (ET).
