UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men’s basketball team dropped a 68-66 thriller to Hillsdale in their 2008 home opener.

The Cardinals had a chance to win the game as senior guard Lawrence Ross (Battle Creek, Mich./ Miami University) grabbed a rebound with 3.1 seconds and drove down the court, just missing a shot from within the three point line that would have tied the game.

The Cardinals were lead in scoring by Avery Stephenson (Romulus, Mich./Nebraska Kearney) who dropped in 16 points on the afternoon. Ross netted 14 points and five rebounds, while Dante Williams (Romulus, Mich./East Tenn. State Univ.) had 11 points. Freshman point guard Greg Foster (Indianapolis, Ind. T.C. Howe) had 10 points and nine rebounds.

With the loss the Cardinals fall to 0-4 on the season, 0-2 in the GLIAC, while Hillsdale moves to 4-1 overall and 2-0 in the GLIAC. SVSU will return to action at 3 p.m. next Sunday (Dec. 14) when they host Lake Superior State.