BIG RAPIDS, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team battled fourth-ranked Ferris State to an 83-72 defeat in the first contest of 2025. The Cardinals scored 43 points in the second half to battle the Bulldogs until the final minute of the game.
Toodles Seal led the way for the Cardinals with 23 points and 10 rebounds for his first double-double of the season. Seal also tallied four assists for SVSU in the losing effort. Elijah Mattingly scored 12 points and pulled down six boards with two blocks on his stat line. Maurice Anderson tallied 11 points off the bench with two rebounds, an assist, and a steal.
The Cardinals started slow as Ferris State jumped to a 16-3 lead in the opening 10 minutes of play. Seal made a dunk and a jumper in a 6-0 run that trimmed the lead to 16-9 with 11:33 left in the first half.
Bryson Huckeby and Mattingly made three-point jumpers in the closing minutes of the half that cut a 15-point lead to just nine as the teams went into the locker room at the half.
Triston Nichols made a jump shot at 18:46 of the second half that sparked a 9-2 run by the Cardinals and cut the lead to three points with just over 14 minutes remaining in regulation. Anderson made a three on the next Cardinal possession to bring the gap to one bucket (44-42).
Ferris State continued to make shots to hold onto a slim lead throughout the second half, but SVSU made free throws and shots from beyond the arc to stay within two scores down the stretch. Richmond Mawutor made a free throw at 2:28 to bring the score to 71-68 in favor of the home team. Ferris made a bucket on the next possession to extend the margin to five and force a timeout by the Cardinals.
Another bucket by the Bulldogs extended the lead to seven with 44 ticks on the clock and Ferris State made the free throws needed in the closing moments to secure the victory.
The Cardinals went 12-for-14 from the charity stripe and shot 36.8% from the floor. SVSU outrebounded the Bulldogs 42-40 but gave up 19 points off turnovers. Ferris held the edge in points in the paint (36-26) and bench points (46-25).
UP NEXT: Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball continues its two-game road trip with a contest against Lake Superior State on Saturday in Sault Ste Marie, Michigan. The Cardinals and Lakers are scheduled to tip off at 3:00 p.m. (ET).
