UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team defeated Northern Michigan today (Jan. 23) by a score of 59-56 in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference (GLIAC) contest.

Northern jumped out to the lead, and retained it until SVSU gained a one-point advantage on a pair of free-throws by senior Avery Stephenson (Romulus, Mich.) to make the score 7-6.  The Wildcats would re-gain the lead at 9-7 on a triple by Raymond McElroy.  Northern led the rest of the way in the first frame, expanding the lead to as much as nine, at the 5:46 mark.  The Cardinals would cut into the lead, however, and trailed by only four at the half, 33-29.  Sophomore guard Greg Foster (Indianapolis, Ind./TC Howe HS) led the way in the opening 20 minutes, netting nine points.  Stephenson and sophomore Sean Romsek (Fowlerville, Mich.) each had seven points for the Cardinals in the half, while junior forward Keithan Jackson (Grand Rapids, Mich./Godwin Heights HS) had five rebounds to lead the team.

The Wildcats held their lead throughout the second half and went up by as many as 11 points as McElroy hit back-to-back three pointers.  The Cardinals tied the ball game at 52 with just over two minutes remaining in as sophomore Josh Eisenga (McBain, Mich.) created a three point play, earining the third point at the free-throw line.  Saginaw Valley maintained their lead for the remainder of the contest and went on to victory, 59-56.

The Cardinals were led by Stephenson who finished the game with 18 points, six rebounds and had two steals.  Foster ended the night with 11 points, two rebounds and two assists while Jackson led the game in rebounds with 13 and also netted six points.

This victory over Northern Michigan is the first six-game winning streak since the 2003-04 season and the most wins the Cardinals have had since the 2002-03 season, when they finished with a 14-13 overall record.

With the win, Saginaw Valley moves to 12-5 overall on the season and 9-3 in the GLIAC while Northern Michigan falls to 7-9 overall and 4-8 in the GLIAC.  The Cardinals will return to action on Thursday (Jan. 28) as they travel to take on Hillsdale College.  Tip-off is set for 8:00 PM.