Malik Garner goes for career-high at Davenport despite setback in league action

Malik Garner goes for career-high at Davenport despite setback in league action

GRAND RAPIDS -- The SVSU Men's Basketball team rode a three-game winning streak into Davenport University for a Saturday (Feb. 17) afternoon GLIAC contest. The Cardinals however, despite running out to an early lead in the contest, were defeated by the Panthers with a final score of 90-63 at the DU Student Center.

SVSU got a career-high 18 points out of sophomore guard Malik Garner, as he was one of two double-digit scorers in the contest for the Cards. 

The Cardinals got out to a lead early in the contest and held a 9-5 advantage. 

From there, Davenport responded with solid shooting (61.5%) for the half and held a 51-33 lead at the break after Jake Daniels hit a pair of free throws after being fouled as time expired for the first. 

To open the second half, SVSU went on a 10-1 run, trimming the deficit to single digits at 52-43 after Liam Evans made good on a jumper with 16:01 showing on the clock.

That was as close as the visitors would get the rest of the way. Davenport opened-up another big lead and led by as many as 31 points en route to closing-out the 27-point victory, 90-63.

Inside the Boxscore

  • Garner was named the Meijer "Player of the Game" for Saginaw Valley. He registered a new career-high of 18 points, which was also a game-high. He added three steals, two assists and a rebound in his 28 minutes of action.
  • Liam Evans was the other scorer in double figures for the Cards, adding 10 points with four boards, an assist and steal.
  • James Toohey grabbed a team-best nine rebounds, adding six points with a block and steal. The nine boards matched his career-high. 
  • LaDell Hickman got his first bucket in a Cardinal uniform, scoring on a breakaway layup after grabbing a steal. 
  • The Panthers shot an even 50.0% (27-54) from the floor while the Cardinals were at 35.2% (19-54).
  • SVSU held a narrow 22-20 advantage in points in the paint.
  • DU out-rebounded SV by a 43-30 margin. 

Up Next...

The Cardinals have two more road games remaining on the schedule, beginning Thursday (Feb. 22) at Ashland University. Tip-off will be at 7:30 p.m. at Kates Gymnasium against the Eagles. Saginaw Valley defeated Ashland earlier this season, claiming a 72-66 home victory on Jan. 18. 

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