UNIVERSITY CENTER -- The Cardinal Men's Basketball squad hosted the Purdue Northwest Pride in the first GLIAC contest after the holiday break. Saginaw Valley got a game-winning bucket from senior guard Mike Wells Jr. with 1.8 seconds left, sealing a 73-71 comeback victory at the James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena.
After the visitors opened the game with the lead and led by as many as eight points with the score 14-6 at the 14:53 marker of the first half, the Cardinals would regain the lead with 7:25 to play in the opening frame after Malik Garner drilled a triple to make the score 20-19.
The lead then shifted back to the Pride but SVSU used another bucket from Garner and a layup from Wells to close the first half with a 37-34 edge heading into the locker room.
PNW held the lead for much of the second half and led by a 67-63 margin with just 4:50 to play in the contest.
That's when Saginaw Valley went for five straight points, using layups from Wells and Fred John Jr. and a three-pointer from DJ Hoskins that gave the home squad the 68-67 edge with 2:07 to play.
After the Pride had a 71-68 lead, Wells would connect on a triple of his own with 48 ticks left to go to knot the score at 71-71.
The Cardinal defense registered a stop on Purdue Northwest's next possession, which would set the stage for SVSU to get the final shot with 29 seconds to work with.
With the ball in Well's hands, he worked the clock and drilled a mid-range jumper with 1.8 seconds left, giving SV the 73-71 lead.
That's where the final would stand, as a last second heave from the visitors landed no good and the Cardinals won their second straight contest.
Inside the Boxscore
- Wells went for a game-high 22 points, shooting 9-of-15 from the floor while earning Meijer "Player of the Game" honors. He added two boards, two assists and a steal.
- Hoskins added 13 points with two assists and two steals.
- John had 11 points with a team-high seven rebounds. He added two blocks and a steal as well.
- Garner registered nine points with eight assists, two steals, a pair of boards and zero turnovers from the point guard position.
- James Toohey connected on three triples for nine points, adding three assists, a steal and block.
- SV shot 48.3% from the field while the Pride was 49.0%.
- PNW out-rebounded the Cardinals by a 34-26 margin.
- The Cardinals had a 36-32 edge in points in the paint as well and 20-1 advantage in bench scoring.
Postgame Interview - Mike Wells Jr.
Up Next...
Saginaw Valley takes a trip over the Grand Valley State on Saturday (Jan. 6) for another league game versus the Lakers. Tip-off will be at 1:00 p.m. from the GVSU Fieldhouse in Allendale, Michigan. GVSU is coming off an 88-80 win at Northwood on Thursday night.
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