The SVSU men’s basketball team traveled to the Upper Peninsula last weekend, where it topped Northern Michigan on Thursday and fell to Michigan Tech on Saturday.
Against Tech, SVSU traded buckets until taking the lead 8-7 with 13 minutes left in the half.
The Cards got to the largest lead of the first half at 15-11 with nine minutes remaining.
It took the Huskies five minutes to close the gap, cutting the Cardinal lead to one.
Tech later finished with an 8-2 run that gave them a 23-22 lead at halftime.
After a CJ Turnage layup 10 seconds into the second half, the Huskies exploded with an 11-3 run that gave them their largest lead of the game.
Saginaw Valley didn’t get close enough to make the Huskies uncomfortable until a Jake Daniels layup made it 64-60 with six seconds left in the contest. A pair of Tech free throws late sealed the deal, giving MTU the 66-60 win.
“We played a very tough and physical game,” head coach Randy Baruth said. “Defensively, we gave up a seven-point possession and some open three’s, and we missed layups, free throws and open shots at the other end of the court. That proved to be the game.”
Turnage led the team with 14 points and 11 rebounds, while Wade Gelhaus added 11 points of his own and 12 boards. Malik Garner scored a dozen.
Thursday night, Saginaw Valley held the Northern Michigan bench scoreless in what was an exciting 63-62 Cardinal win.
Turnage exploded in the win, going for 26 points, 13 rebounds, three assists and four blocks. Garret Hall added 14 points, four assists and three steals.
Saginaw Valley (15-10, 8-10 in GLIAC) will travel to the Upper Peninsula again next week to take on Lake Superior State before hosting Northwood in the final home game of the regular season.
