LOUISVILLE, Ken. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team fell in their 2011-12 season opener to No. 1 ranked Bellarmine today (Nov. 12) by a  score of 85-71.

The Cardinals entered the locker room at halftime, trailing 44-26.  In the second half, Saginaw Valley managed to cut the Knight's lead to six at the 11:23 mark with a lay-up off the hands of senior forward Eli Redman (Bath, Mich./Bath HS).  Saginaw Valley was unable to find an offensive rhythm in the final minutes of the game as they struggled to catch the Knight's advantage, falling 85-71.  Leading the way offensively for the Cardinals was Meijer "Player of the Game" senior guard Greg Foster (Indianapolis, Ind./T.C. Howe HS).  Foster ended the game with a team-high 25 points, five rebounds, and one assist.  As a team, the Cardinals went 16-for-20 from the free-throw line.  Junior Michael Fugate (White Lake Mich./Lakeland HS) finished the game with 23 points, four rebounds, two assists, and one steal while junior Chris Webb (Saginaw, Mich./Arthur Hill HS) ended the night with fifteen points, three rebounds, two assists and posted one steal.

With the loss, the Cardinals fall to 0-1 overall on the season, while Bellarmine moves to 1-0.  Saginaw Valley will return to action this Friday (Nov. 18), when they travel to Wisconsin to face the University of Wisconsin-Parkside.  Tip-off is scheduled for 7:00 pm.