GRAND RAPIDS, Mich. – Saginaw Valley State University junior Freddie McIntosh reached 1,000 career points on a night he also set a new career-high with 35. The Saginaw, Michigan native needed just six points to reach 1K coming into the game and instead hit the 30-point mark for the third time in his career (all three occasions happened this season). McIntosh led a second-half rally from 11 points down that fell short by a single point in an 82-81 loss at Davenport.
McIntosh was a menace for the Panthers as he shot 11-21 from the floor, 4-7 from three, and 9-11 from the charity stripe. He added five rebounds, four assists, and a steal to his highlights. Tre Garrett added 17 points in the losing effort. Garrett made seven of his 13-shot attempts and pulled down seven rebounds for SVSU. Curtis Jackson had a nice night at the point, dishing seven assists in the contest.
The Panthers hopped out to a 7-2 lead in the opening three minutes of play. McIntosh drilled a three-point jumper to cut the deficit to two points before a 5-0 run by Davenport extended the lead to 12-5 with just over four minutes expired in the first half. An 8-0 run later in the half built a 22-9 lead for DU with 10:47 on the clock. McIntosh was fouled on a jump shot that he made and completed the and-one to cut the lead to 10 points. The Panthers maintained a double-digit lead for most of the remaining time in the first half, taking a 41-30 advantage into the locker room at the break.
Davenport extended the lead to its widest margin of 16 points in the opening 4:30 minutes of the second half. McIntosh exploded for 19 points on 5-12 shooting in the second half to lead the Cardinal comeback. Garrett tallied 13 of 17 points in the second half to contribute to the late-game push for SVSU. McIntosh made two free throws before Maurice Anderson hit two three-point jumpers that began and ended an 8-0 run that closed the gap to nine points with just over 13 minutes to play. Garrett scored five-straight points and McIntosh capped an 8-0 run with another three that put the deficit to 63-56 just south of the halfway mark of the final half. The Cardinals wouldn't get closer until a series of free throws followed by a dunk by Kevonne Taylor put the score at 77-73 in the final minute of play. SVSU was forced to preserve time and foul, and the Panthers made just enough of the free throws to hold onto the lead. McIntosh hit another shot from distance that cut the lead to 82-79 before Taylor hit a layup to complete a 5-0 run in the closing seconds, but the Cardinals ran out of time to complete the comeback.
The Cards will look to end the current two-game skid with a home contest against Lake Superior State this Thursday, January 25. The opening tip against the Lakers is set for 8:00 p.m., EST.