SVSU took the court on Saturday looking for its 14th-straight victory, but the Michigan Tech Huskies came into the O’Neill arena not looking to give it to them and came away with the 66-58 victory.

The Cardinals’ first loss since Nov. 25 brings the team’s record to a still impressive 14-3. The loss is the first Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference(GLIAC) defeat for the Cards, bringing the team’s conference record to 11-1.

Early on in the contest SVSU looked like it typically does, grabbing the first possession and eventually scoring the first points. Michigan Tech showed time and time again that it was a team with a lot of resolve that would not be intimidated by the Cardinals or their 13-game winning streak. The Huskies stole the lead from the Cards repeatedly and continued to kick SVSU while it tried climbing back into the game.

After trailing during the beginning of the first half, the Cardinals regained the lead at the 9:30 mark on a layup by junior Sterling Johnson. The score was 19-18. Two three-point shots from sophomores Caleb Davis and Wade Gelhaus, respectively, extended the team’s lead to seven, but Michigan Tech would fight its way back.

The Huskies took the lead at the 6:20 mark and would hold onto it for the remainder of the first half. When the two teams went into the locker room, Michigan Tech was up 31-26.

Gelhaus was the Cardinals’ leading scorer at the break. The sophomore had seven points off from the bench while also pulling down a team-high four rebounds.

Shortly after the start of the second half Davis drilled another three-pointer to draw within four points of the Huskies. Michigan Tech refused to let the Cards gain any momentum, taking advantage of every opportunity given to them and eventually pulling out to a 41-33 lead.

Junior Damon Bozeman helped bring SVSU a little closer, scoring five points within a couple minutes to cut into the Huskies’ lead. With just under eight minutes to play, the Cardinals trailed by only four. But that was as close as they would get as Michigan Tech took advantage of its chances at the line and closed out the game to snap the Cards’ winning streak.

Bozeman finished as SVSU’s leading scorer, notching 13 points. Sophomore Garrett Hall tied Davis for second on the team in scoring with 10 points.

Rebounds proved to a be a critical stat for the Cardinals, as they were outrebounded, 37-26.

The 58-point total was the lowest the Cards have put up all year. On its 13-game winning streak, SVSU averaged a little over 70 points a game.

The Cardinals will look to rebound from their first loss in almost two months next week against Grace Bible College. Tip off will be at 7 p.m. Monday, Jan. 26.