The Basics 

Score: Ferris State 89, Saginaw Valley 72
Records: FSU (19-3, 13-2 GLIAC) | SVSU (13-9, 6-9 GLIAC)
Jim Wink Arena - Big Rapids, Mich. 

BIG RAPIDS, Mich.- The Saginaw Valley State men's basketball team took to the hardwood on Thursday night for a matchup with the GLIAC-leading Ferris State Bulldogs. The Cardinals' ran out to an early lead in the matchup, but it would not last, as the Bulldogs proved to be too tough and claimed the victory by a final score of 89-72 over the visitors.

Saginaw Valley started out the game scoring on its first three offensive sequences with an up-and-under from Mike Wells and a mid-range jumper from Wade Gelhaus. The Cardinals ran out to a 9-2 lead on Ferris State as Richie Roberts knocked down a three while Caleb Davis tapped in his own offensive rebound for his first points of the contest.

Ferris State countered the early SVSU scoring run with six unanswered points of their own, cutting the deficit to one at the 15:36 mark. The Bulldogs took its first lead, scoring from an offensive rebound with 12:08 left in the 1st half. The Cardinals quickly regained the lead after Wells drilled a long three for a 14-12 edge. A Ferris State dunk on the next possession tied the contest for the first time. SVSU would regain the lead once again with a three-point make from Jake Daniels and a make from the post for C.J. Turnage. 

The Cardinals stayed persistent on offense against the Bulldogs, who held a 22-18 lead with 7:46 left after Daniels knocked down a mid-range jumper. Ferris State would then mount another comeback effort with a quick 8-2 scoring run that gave the Bulldogs its first lead of the contest. Wells would convert from beyond the arc for SVSU's third lead of the half at the 4:10 mark. The Cardinals were unable to hold another lead for the remainder of the half. 

Six unanswered points pushed the Bulldog lead out to 32-27 with 2:59 remaining. Another make from Turnage stopped the FSU offense for a time, cutting the deficit to just three points. The Bulldogs would then grab a six-point lead after knocking down a three from the corner and would grow their lead to 38-31 with another make from three-point land.

The Bulldogs would close the first half up 40-33 on Saginaw Valley after scoring on a tip-in as time expired.  

Saginaw Valley struck first in the second half with a layup make from Wells. Then, Ferris State quickly ran its lead to double-digits on the Cardinals thanks to a 9-0 run in just 1:30 of play. Devin Dixon slowed down FSU with his first points of the half, bringing the score to 49-37. The Bulldogs would score in bunches once again, taking a 10-4 scoring run into the media timeout and leading 59-43 over the Cardinals. 

The Cardinals would continue to make baskets but were unable to mount a comeback on Ferris State, who would not let its lead fall below 16 points for over eight minutes of play in the second half. A quick 8-0 scoring run at 5:45 left for Saginaw Valley cut the deficit back to just 10. A pair of makes from the stripe for Turnage would then give Cardinals late life, trailing by just nine points. 

The Bulldogs thwarted any attempt for another SVSU comeback, as they climbed back to a 16-point cushion after completing a three-point play. Turnage cut into the lead once again, connecting on a jumper making the score 84-70. A make from beyond the arc gave FSU a 17-point edge on the Cardinals with 1:58 left in the game. 

Saginaw Valley was unable to crawl back into the contest and dropped an 89-72 decision to Ferris State on the road. 

Inside the Boxscore

• C.J. Turnage led all scorers in the contest with 22 points and 10 rebounds while matching a career-high four blocks for the Cardinals. He also added four assists to his stat line and was tabbed as the Meijer "Player of the Game."
• Richie Roberts recorded a career-high three steals and four assists in 25 minutes of action. He also chipped in offensively with seven points on 3-of-7 shooting.
• Mike Wells finished the game with 18 points on a career-high 16 attempts and recorded his first career block as well. 
• Daniels added 11 points in the game while Gelhaus grabbed a career-best 12 boards. 
• Saginaw Valley grabbed seven steals over the Bulldogs' four and ended up with only eight turnovers in the contest.
• Saginaw Valley was outrebounded, 49-40 and outscored 25-19 overall in bench points. 

Up Next...

The Saginaw Valley State men's basketball team returns to campus on Saturday night for a matchup with the Grand Valley State Lakers. Tip-off from O'Neill Arena will be at 6:00 p.m. The two rivals last met on Jan. 21 in Allendale, with GVSU pulling out an 80-71 decision over SVSU. 

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