UNIVERSITY CENTER -- Saginaw Valley State University fell at home to Northwood University on Thursday (Feb. 27) night in the 2019-20 regular season finale, played at O'Neill Arena. The Timberwolves held a slit 40-39 lead at the half and were able to hold-off the Cardinals in the second half, outscoring SVSU 38-32 to post a 78-72 victory.
With the victory, Northwood hosts a first round GLIAC Quarterfinal game as the No. 4 seed. The Cardinals will be the No. 6 seed in the GLIAC Tournament and will face Michigan Tech on the road on Tuesday (Mar. 3).
SVSU had two players in double-figures through the first 20 minutes of action. Malik Ellison had 12 points with three assists and a rebound. Myles Belyeu added 11 points with a pair of boards and a block. Both teams shot well in the first half, with SVSU hitting on 12-of-21 shots for a mark of 57.1% and the Timberwolves shooting 55.6% on 15-of-27 tries.
NU held the lead until the 13:56 marker of the second half when the Cards scored six straight to take a 51-49 lead. The Timberwolves later broke a 60-60 tie with seven straight to lead 67-60 with 7:56 showing on the clock.
The Cardinals would work back to within three points but couldn't catch up in the end and Northwood finished with the 78-72 victory.
Inside the Boxscore
- Delano Smith finished the game with 15 points, five rebounds and an assist while earning Meijer "Player of the Game" plaudits.
- Ellison finished with 20 points, five assists, three boards and a steal.
- Belyeu had 17 points, four rebounds and two blocks.
- The Cardinals had 18 turnovers in the game compared to 10 from the visitors.
Postgame Interview - Randy Baruth
Up Next...
Saginaw Valley hits the road to face Michigan Tech on Tuesday (Mar. 3) in the 2020 GLIAC Tournament Quarterfinal. Stay tuned to svsucardinals.com for more information regarding the contest.
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