UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. – The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team defeated Great Lakes Christian 91-86 in James E. O'Neill Jr. Arena on Tuesday night. Tre Garrett led the Cardinals (3-4) with 22 points, six assists, and six rebounds.

Jiovanni Miles scored 19 points on 6-11 shooting from the floor. Freddie McIntosh tallied 15 points and seven rebounds in the winning effort. Kevonne Taylor finished with 13 points and six rebounds.

Garrett started strong going 4-7 for 12 points in the first half. Taylor kicked off a 7-0 run with a layup that gave SVSU a 7-2 lead at the 17:34 mark. The lead grew from there as McIntosh drained a shot from three to give the Cardinals an 18-8 lead. The Crusaders responded with a 16-0 run that spanned 3:13 to take a 27-23 lead with just over nine minutes remaining in the first half. Garrett then rattled off five-straight points to recapture the advantage for SVSU, but the visitors continued to battle as the lead changed hands four more times before the intermission, where GLC held a 47-45 edge.

The Cardinals jumped back on top, 54-51 after Ethan Hill dunked in transition, and a layup from Taylor pushed the advantage to five with 17:41 left to play. The Crusaders rallied to snag a 62-60 lead as the score moved back and forth to a deadlock at 74 with 8:28 left on the clock. Miles drilled a three to keep the lead on the side of SVSU as the Cardinals hit their free throws down the stretch to maintain the lead and secure the win.

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The SVSU men's basketball team will host Wayne State in the opening game of conference play on Saturday at 3:00 PM.