UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team defeated the visiting University of Michigan-Dearborn Wolves on Monday night (1/3) by a score of 94-53.  The victory snaps a five game losing streak while improving the Cardinals' record to 4-6 overall on the season.  The Wolves fall to 5-11 overall with the defeat.

SVSU carried a 53-26 lead into halftime, leading from the get-go after jumping out to an 8-0 lead after a layup by senior Dan Genther (Laingsburg, Mich.) at the 16:58 mark in the opening frame.  A layup by freshman Mike Schaaf (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill HS) near the first media timeout gave the Cards a 14 point advantage at 27-13 with 10:47 remaining.  SVSU's largest lead of the half came with 1:25 remaining, when junior Eli Redman (Bath, Mich.) threw down a break-away dunk off of a feed from freshman Logan Ellman (Oconto, Wis.) to give SVSU a 51-22 advantage.

Senior Keithan Jackson (Grand Rapids, Mich./Godwin Heights HS) got his first start of the year in his first contest and provided a spark right away.  Jackson had a double-double going into the half, posting 15 points and 11 rebounds to lead all players in both categories through 20 minutes.  Sophomore Chris Webb (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill HS) also reached double figures in the first half, netting 11 points.  Sophomores Michael Fugate (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland HS) and Brett Beland (Menominee HS) each added eight points for SVSU, which shot 43.5% in the opening half.  The Cardinals had a clean half, recording zero turnovers while forcing 11 on the defensive end.

The Cardinals would continue the solid play throughout the contest, as they would outscore the Wolves by a 41-27 mark in the second half to close-out with the 41 point victory.  SVSU improved on its shooting in the second, posting a 45.7% from the floor.  The Cardinals outscored the Wolves by a 40-12 mark in the paint while also posting a 43-21 advantage in bench scoring.

Jackson earned Meijer "Player of the Game" plaudits after finishing with a game-high 23 points and 14 rebounds.  Redman ended the contest with 13 points off the bench in 22 minutes of action.  Fugate ended the game with 12 points and eight rebounds while Webb finished with 11 points.

The Cardinals will be back in action on Thursday (1/6), as they travel to Grand Valley State for a 6:00 pm contest.