UNIVERSITY CENTER -- The Cardinal Men's Basketball team hosted the Grace Bible College Tigers in a matchup on the eve of Thanksgiving at SVSU's O'Neill Arena. Saginaw Valley came to play on Wednesday, getting double-figures in scoring from five different players and using defensive pressure to post a 98-68 victory over the Tigers.
SVSU ran out to a 6-0 lead early in the contest inside of the first there minutes after a pair of Fred John Jr. free throws. The lead reached double-digits at the 13:17 marker of the first half after Sebastiano Lamonato made good on a layup attempt to give the Cardinals a 21-10 lead.
After the lead reached as many as 16 points (30-14), the Tigers brought the deficit back to just one point at 33-32 with 5:47 showing on the clock.
The final score of the first half came when Mike Wells Jr. made a layup with seven second showing on the clock, giving the Cardinals a 49-41 lead heading into the halftime break.
The home team continued to lead throughout the second half of play, with the lead reaching 21 points at 78-57 after Lamonato made another layup.
SVSU closed-out from there, continuing on to seal the victory over the Tigers, 98-68.
Inside the Boxscore
- Wells was named the Meijer "Player of the Game" after his game-high 23 points. He added four rebounds, three assists and a steal in the win. The 23 points and four rebounds matched his career-highs as well.
- DJ Hoskins added a career-best 19 points with four assists and two steals.
- Lamonato posted a career-high 12 points with six boards and a block for the Cardinals.
- John had 11 points as well, chipping-in with three assists and two boards.
- Malik Garner had a career-high 11 assists, adding five points with a steal and rebound.
- Jeremy Pung had a career-best nine points as well with four rebounds and a trio of assists.
- Richie Roberts grabbed a career-high nine boards, adding four points, three assists and three steals with a block.
- Each team grabbed 42 rebounds in the contest.
- SVSU forced 24 turnovers and scored 31 points off those turnovers.
- The Cardinals outscored the Tigers 44-36 in the paint and the SVSU bench posted a 52-35 edge.
Up Next...
The Cardinals are off until Sunday (Nov. 26), when they host the Hillsdale College Chargers for a regional competition. Tip-off will be 3:00 p.m. at O'Neill Arena.
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