UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – Saginaw Valley State senior guard Tre Garrett closed out the game against Lake Superior State with a made free throw that put the score at 87-74. That free throw gave Garrett 31 on the night, a career-high in scoring, and earned him the Meijer Player of the Game. The Cardinals (10-7, 3-5 GLIAC) snapped a two-game skid with the victory and improved to 3-5 in conference play.
Garrett finished two rebounds short of a double-double, while shooting 15-17 from the free throw line and 7-14 from the floor to lead both teams in scoring. Toodles Seal had 21 points, his fifth game scoring 20+ points this season. Seal added six rebounds and made eight of his 12-shot attempts on the evening. Freddie McIntosh added 19 points and five rebounds to the winning effort. Curtis Jackson contributed on the glass with six rebounds. Dylan West registered six points and five rebounds.
Saginaw Valley State started hot with a 7-0 run in the opening four minutes of play. McIntosh got things going with a driving layup and Seal capped it with a step-back jumper for the quick lead. McIntosh sparked another run later, this one 5-0, with a three-point jumper that pushed the advantage to12-4 with 13:46 left in the first half. Garrett made a layup that began an 8-0 run that Seal finished with a three to give SVSU its first double-digit lead, 24-10, with just under nine minutes left before the half. Garrett hit both of his free-throw attempts at the 7:26 mark to push the lead to its widest gap, 29-13, of 16 points. The Lakers battled back with a 6-0 run late that cut the deficit to eight points, with 1:13 on the clock. The margin remained there as the teams entered the break.
The Cardinals' hot shooting continued in the second half as the team went a perfect, 5-5 from behind the arc. Seal made four of the team's five three-point jumpers in the second half, starting with the first bucket in the first minute of the half that gave SVSU an 11-point lead. Jackson hit a shot from distance a few minutes later and Seal added his second of the half a few plays later to push the lead to 13 points. The scoring slowed down a bit for the next 10 minutes until Seal hit another three with 5:18 on the clock to put the score at 65-58. LSSU whittled the lead down to three points, 69-66, with 2:47 left in regulation. With time running short, the Lakers had to foul to preserve time and the Cardinals hit 13-14 free throws down the stretch to earn the 13-point win.
SVSU will remain at home to host 13th-ranked Ferris State on Saturday, January 27. The game is slated for a 3:00 p.m., EST, start. The Cardinals will honor all men's basketball alumni in the annual Alumni Day. It is also Youth Hoops Day.
