UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team earned an 87-68 win over Grace Christian to end 2022 with a victory. The Cardinal (7-6) bench outscored the Tigers 35-19 to help toward the final result.

Freshman Chansey Willis Jr. was two assists away from a triple-double after he finished with 13 points, 11 rebounds, and eight assists. Tre Garrett scored 23 points and was also one rebound shy of a double-double on the afternoon. Ethan Hill scored 11 points off the bench to contribute to the win. Freddie McIntosh was the final Cardinal to score double-digit points with 10.

Saginaw Valley started slowly in the first half, as the score was tied eight times in the opening 20 minutes of play. Grace Christian pulled away for a five-point advantage at the eight-minute mark of the first half, but a 5-0 run that was sparked by a layup from Garrett tied things at 26. The period ended with a 7-3 scoring margin for the Cardinals as the home team held a 48-43 edge at the break.

SVSU pulled away in the second half from the start as a 5-0 run built a 56-45 lead in the opening three minutes. The Tigers pulled within four points of the Cards, but an 8-0 run grew the lead to 12 before a 10-0 run finished things off for SVSU. The lead would never shrink beneath double-digits for the remainder of regulation as the Cardinals earned their seventh win of the year.