UNIVERSITY CENTER -- The SVSU Men's Basketball team got 28 points from sophomore guard Darnell Hoskins Jr., who hit a pair of late three-pointers and the game-winner to lead the Cardinals to a 59-56 upset over the No. 18-ranked Ashland University Eagles at O'Neill Arena.
With the win, the Cards move to 10-17 overall and 6-13 in the GLIAC while the Eagles are now 22-5 and 14-5 in league play. It caps a weekend sweep for SVSU, as the Cardinals defeated Wayne State on Thursday by a 72-59 margin.
The game was back and forth to start and the home team led by as many as six points (14-8) with 10:58 showing on the clock after a layup from Sebastiano Lamonato. The Eagles would take it from there, working their way out to a 10-point lead at the half, 30-20.
Ashland worked its way out to a 14-point lead with 17:42 on the clock in the second half as the score was 35-21.
Saginaw Valley remained persistent, working its way back to knot the score at 50-50 after a pair of free throws from Hoskins.
The teams traded jabs and Hoskins would eventually hit a triple with 1:18 remaining to give the Cards a 56-53 edge.
Ashland's Aaron Thompson hit a pair of free throws to trim the deficit to 56-55 with 10 seconds left.
On the ensuing inbounds play, the Cardinals called for a timeout and had none remaining, resulting in a technical foul and giving the visitors a single free throw and a chance to knot the game. Drew Noble did just that for Ashland, making the scrore 56-56 with the 10 seconds showing on the clock.
With Saginaw Valley getting the ball back, Hoskins took the inbounds pass and worked his way down the court. He pulled-up deep from three, finding nothing but the bottom of the net to splash through the shot for the 59-56 Cardinal lead. A last-second heave from the Eagles didn't go off in time and SV sealed the victory.
Inside the Boxscore
- Hoskins had 28 points with four rebounds, three assists and two steals. He was named the Meijer "Player of the Game" for the Cardinals.
- Myles Belyeu added a dozen points with four rebounds, two assists and three steals.
- Lamonato added seven points and four boards.
- The Cardinals owned the points in the paint category by a 26-16 margin while the Eagles had a slim edge on the glass, 33-32.
Up Next...
Saginaw Valley finishes its 2018-19 season on the road Thursday (Feb. 28) at Northwood University. Tip-off will be 8:00 p.m. at NU's Riepma Arena.
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