ALLENDALE, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team closed a season-opening weekend series with Grand Valley State University Sunday in Allendale, Mich.

The Cardinals held a double-digit lead in the second half, but the Lakers rallied late and held on for a 72-67 win. The loss drops SVSU to 0-2 overall and 0-2 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.

SVSU took a 51-40 advantage nearing the midway point of the second half, while a Darnell Hoskins 3-pointer gave the Cardinals a four-point lead with 4:22 left on the clock. The Lakers closed the came on a 14-5 run and held on for the victory.

Malik Ellison led the Cardinals with 16 points on 6-of-18 shooting. Myles Belyeu added 14 points and six rebounds, while Delano Smith came off the bench to finish with 11 points on 4-of-4 shooting from the field.

SVSU shot 26-of-55 (47.3 percent) from the field, 5-of-16 (31.3 percent) from deep, and 10-of-19 (52.6 percent) from the line. The Cardinals finished with nine assists, four steals, and 11 turnovers while getting outrebounded by the Lakers 33-30.

Christian Negron led GVSU (2-0, 2-0 GLIAC) with 25 points, shooting 7-of-8 from the field and 10-of-10 from the line, adding 12 rebounds for a double-double.

The Cardinals return home for the first time this season to host a two-game weekend GLIAC series against Northern Michigan University starting at 5 pm Friday at the James E. O'Neill Arena in University Center, Mich.

(File photo used from 2019-20 season)