UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team hosted the Ferris State University Bulldogs for a GLIAC North Division match-up on Thursday (Feb. 18). The Cardinals escaped with a 68-66 victory at the Ryder Center on the campus of SVSU. The win marks SVSU's first 15-win season since the 1997-98 season, when it posted an 18-11 overall record. The Cardinals have also secured a spot in the GLIAC Tournament for the first time since the 98-99 season.
The Cardinals trailed 32-30 at halftime. The lead bounced back and forth in the opening frame, with the biggest lead being held by Ferris State at the 2:46 mark, when it held a six-point advantage at 28-22. The Bulldogs would lead for the remainder of the period, holding on for the two point advantage after SVSU freshman guard Michael Fugate (White Lake, Mich./Lakeland HS) was good on a lay-up with seven seconds left. Senior guard Avery Stephenson (Romulus, Mich.) led the Cardinals with 10 points in the opening 20 minutes. Junior guard Dan Genther (Laingsburg, Mich.) added six points in the first half, while freshman guard Chris Webb (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill HS) netted five.
In the second half, SVSU quickly re-gained the lead at the 18:17 mark, when they took a 34-32 advantage. A free throw by junior forward Keithan Jackson (Grand Rapids, Mich./Godwin Heights HS) at the 10:17 mark gave the Cardinals their biggest lead of the half, holding a 53-47 lead. Ferris took a 61-60 lead with 3:15 remaining via a pair of free throws by junior forward Justin Keenan. Saginaw would grab the lead back for good at the 1:48 mark, with the score 62-61 when Stephenson drained a pair of freebies. From there, the Cardinals would hold on for the two-point victory. Stephenson led the scoring with 23 points, adding five rebounds. Genther netted 12 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Cards. Webb had 14 points in the contest and Jackson reached double-figures with 10.
The Cardinals improve to 15-9 overall with a 12-7 record in the GLIAC. Ferris drops to 14-10 overall and 12-7 in league play. SVSU welcomes first-place Grand Valley State University to the Ryder Center on Saturday for a 7:00 pm contest in a PINK-OUT for the fans in helping SVSU raise funds to fight breast cancer. The Cardinals now sit in third place in the GLIAC standings with only three conference games left to play in the regular season.