Posted: Jan 08, 2026
CHICAGO – The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team sailed to a 93-68 win over Roosevelt at the Goodman Center on Thursday night. The Cardinals (9-4, 3-2 GLIAC) controlled the paint, outrebounding the Lakers (1-11, 0-5 GLIAC) 55-21.
Marquese Josephs (Mississauga, Ontario) shot 64.3% for a career-high 26 points, going 2-for-2 from deep and perfect on six free throws, along with four rebounds and an assist.
Kevonne Taylor (Detroit, Mich. / Chandler Park HS) hit a pull-up jumper in the opening minute, sparking an 8-0 run and giving SVSU a commanding early lead. Taylor finished with nine points, six rebounds, two assists, and a block.
The Lakers responded with an 8-0 run, cutting the deficit to 12-10 at 12:47 in the first half.
In response, Aidan Duran (Spring, Texas / Victory Rock Prep) hit a layup to ignite an 11-0 run for Saginaw Valley, widening the margin to double digits at 29-14 with just under six minutes remaining in the opening 20 minutes. He finished with eight points and seven rebounds in the win.
SVSU continued to control the game, outscoring Roosevelt 16-8 in the closing minutes of the half. Xavier Thomas (Detroit, Mich. / Brother Rice HS) contributed significantly, totaling eight of his 19 points during the final minutes as the Cardinals finished the half shooting 7-for-9 in that stretch.
The Cardinals continued to control the game in the second half, steadily increasing their lead. Duran's pair of free throws extended the margin to 84-50, marking the Cardinals' largest lead at 34 points. Saginaw Valley State maintained its advantage throughout the half to secure its third GLIAC win.
Dontez Scott II (Romulus, Mich. / Summit Academy North) added 12 points and five assists. Triston Nichols (Shelby Twp., Mich. / De La Salle HS) also provided five assists, along with two rebounds and a steal. Off the bench, Jake Champagne (Oxford, Mich. / Oxford HS) had a perfect 3-for-3 night for a career-high seven points, including a three-pointer. Bryson Huckeby (Freeland, Mich. / Freeland HS) led with nine rebounds.
UP NEXT: Saginaw Valley State will travel to Kenosha, Wisconsin, to face Parkside on Saturday, January 10 at 3:00 p.m. (ET).