UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team hosted the Ferris State University Bulldogs on Saturday (1/8) in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) match-up. The Cardinals fell to Ferris by a score of 82-74, dropping their record to 4-8 overall on the season and 0-6 in GLIAC play. The Bulldogs improve to 10-5 overall and 6-2 in conference play.
Ferris State led throughout most of the first 15 minutes of the first half. The Cardinals' first basket of the game knotted the score at 2-2 after senior center Adam Roberts (Adrian, Mich./Madison HS) threw down a dunk. The Bulldogs would build a 10-point lead at the 11:16 mark, using a layup by Dontae Molden to take a 20-10 lead and would again lead by 10 with 7:33 remaining in the half at 26-16. SVSU would then score 11 points in a row to take a one point lead at 27-26, with the run being capped-off by a pair of free throws by junior guard Greg Foster (Indianapolis, Ind./TC Howe HS) at the 3:59 mark. A layup by senior forward Keithan Jackson (Grand Rapids, Mich./Godwin Heights HS) at the 2:13 mark gave SVSU a 34-29 lead. Ferris would cut the lead to two points after a three-point play by Justin Keenan with 1:12 left in the frame. A free throw by senior guard Dan Genther (Laingsburg, Mich.) and a layup by Foster with four seconds left would give the Cardinals a 37-32 lead heading into halftime.
Foster led the offensive attack in the first half, scoring 11 points while grabbing four rebounds. Jackson netted nine points and five rebounds in the first 20 minutes of play. Genther added seven points in the half.
SVSU would build its largest lead of the game at the 14:01 mark in the second half after Foster made good on a layup to make the score 52-44 in the Cardinals' advantage. Ferris would then rattle-off 10 consecutive points to take a 54-52 advantage with 10:47 remaining. The Bulldogs would lead by as much as 13 points, that being with 1:32 remaining in the game, when the score stood at 76-63. Ferris would use the clock and free throws to hold off an SVSU comeback, closing-out for the eight point victory, 82-74.
Foster was named the Meijer "Player of the Game" after finishing with 25 points and four rebounds. Jackson posted his second double-double of the season, netting 17 points and a team-high 10 rebounds for the Cardinals. Genther and sophomore guard Michael Fugate (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland HS) each added 10 points for SVSU.
The Cardinals are back in action on Thursday, January 13th, when they travel to the U.P. to take-on the Northern Michigan University Wildcats in a GLIAC match-up. Tip-off for that contest is scheduled for 5:30 pm.
