ASHLAND, Ohio - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team began its road trip through Ohio with a Monday night Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) matchup at Ashland University.  The Cardinals trailed by two at halftime in the contest that went back and forth, including multiple lead changes before taking control halfway through the second half.  The team finished with a 69-55 win, giving SVSU its first conference win of the 2013-14 season.

Saginaw Valley started the game off with a steal and break-away dunk by Kalen Foreman, giving it a 2-0 lead.  The junior center then showed his range by draining a three-pointer to extend the lead to 5-0 at the 16:58 mark.

The SVSU lead would grow to 12-5 before the Eagles went on a scoring run that would tie the game at 14-14 with nine minutes remaining in the opening half.  Ashland took its first lead with 2:42 left.  The home team worked to take a slim 29-28 lead going in to halftime.

The Eagles came out firing in the second half, going on a 7-2 run to give them a 37-30 lead at the 15:29 mark.

A 30 second timeout re-energized the Cardinals to fight back and tie the game at 41 points-apiece with 11:42 remaining. The comeback was fueled by Michael Fugate, Garrett Hall, C.J. Turnage and Damon Bozeman jumpers.

A Bozeman three-pointer regained the lead for SVSU at 44-41 with 10:58 remaining. After six lead changes, the Cardinals took the 51-49 lead off of another Bozeman three and never looked back.  

Saginaw Valley ended the game on a 12-2 run, closing-out for the 69-55 victory.

SVSU shot 50% (28-56) from the floor and 25% (6-24) from beyond the arc. The struggles from the free throw line continued as the team shot just 46.7% (7-15).

Ashland out-rebounded the Cardinals 47-32 while SVSU forced 15 Eagle turnovers that converted to nine steals.

Turnage led all players with 15 points, adding five rebounds, an assist and a block, all while coming off the bench in his first game back from injury.  He was named the Meijer "Player of the Game" for his performance.

Wade Gelhaus added a career-high 14 points and three rebounds in 30 minutes of play. Bozeman had13 points of his own as well as recorded five rebounds and four steals.

Saginaw Valley  improves to 5-2 overall and 1-2 in the conference after the win. Ashland drops to 2-4 overall and 1-3 in GLIAC play. The Cardinals continue their swing through Ohio, as they travel to Lake Erie College on Wednesday (Dec. 18) for an 8:00pm contest. The storm enters the game with a 3-6 record and an 0-3 conference record.