UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. — Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball fell to rival Northwood 82-80 to close out the calendar year. The Cardinals (7-3) held an 18-point lead in the second half, but couldn't withstand a late push from the Timberwolves (8-4) in the losing effort.

 

"Some of the keys to the game we did not execute well down the stretch. We let it snowball on us in a way we have to avoid going into the conference season," said SVSU head coach Chris Fowler. "We will learn from it and get better, but this is a tough one to take."

 

Saginaw Valley controlled much of the opening half, building momentum behind an efficient offense and defensive pressure. SVSU shot 48.3 percent from the field in the first 20 minutes and carried a 38–29 halftime lead, capped by a 10–0 scoring run midway through the half. The Cardinals led for more than 16 minutes in the opening period and pushed the advantage as high as nine points before the break.

 

SVSU extended its lead early in the second half, stretching the margin to a game-high 18 points with 15:32 remaining. Meijer Player of the Game, Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich.) led the charge, finishing with a game-high 26 points. At the same time, Marquese Josephs (Mississauga, Ontario) added 17 points, and Dontez Scott II (Romulus, Mich.) chipped in 15. The trio combined for a perfect 22-of-22 from the free-throw line to help the Cardinals go 26-of-28 from the charity stripe.

 

The Timberwolves used a 10-0 run to trim the deficit to eight points (51-43) with 13:12 left to play. An 8-0 run a few minutes later, shrunk the margin to just one point, 55-54, with just over 10 minutes on the clock. SVSU held onto the lead, building a six-point advantage down the stretch before Northwood chipped away and took the lead 77-76 with 2:36 left to play, the first lead for NU since the 10:21 mark of the first half.

 

The winning bucket came off a second-chance opportunity for the Timberwolves with 54 ticks remaining, and the Cardinals failed to knot things up before the clock hit zero.

 

Saginaw Valley finished the game shooting 44.6 percent overall and 22.2 percent from three-point range. The Cardinals forced turnovers and won the fast-break battle, but Northwood's late execution proved to be the difference.

 

Kevonne Taylor (Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park HS) was the fourth SVSU player with double-digit points as he finished with 11. He added five rebounds to his totals. Triston Nichols (Shelby Twp., Mich. / De La Salle HS) led the team in rebounds with eight and assists with four.

 

UP NEXT: Saginaw Valley State will return to action on Friday, January 2, with the GLIAC home opener against Wayne State at 3:00 p.m. (ET).