UNIVERSITY CENTER, Mich. - The Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball team defeated Wayne State University 67-65 on Thursday night in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at James E O'Neill Jr. Arena. The game was back-and-forth throughout as the Warriors missed two potential game-tying shots at the end of regulation.

SVSU moves to 14-7 overall and 8-5 in league play.

How it happened:

• After Wayne State got the game started on a 12-2 run, the Cardinals got back into it when Delano Smith capped off an 11-1 run with a 3-pointer with 11:02 remaining in the first half to tie the score at 13-13, forcing the Warriors to call timeout.
• The remainder of the first half was back-and-forth, as SVSU took its first lead of the game after a Tyler Witz layup with 8:02 remaining.
• SVSU took a 25-23 lead into the halftime break. 
• Smith got the Cardinals going in the second half when he hit a 3-pointer to open up a five-point lead.
• Both teams continued to trade baskets throughout the second half, but Tre Garrett got the Cardinal bench fired up after missing his own free throw and getting the rebound and fighting through the contact to earn an and-one. 
• SVSU led by as many as seven points with 3:16 remaining in the game, but the Warriors refused to quit, cutting the lead to just two points with 18 seconds left.
• After the Cardinals turned it over, Wayne State had the opportunity to tie the game and send it into overtime, but could not convert.

Inside the Box Score:

• Witz scored 22 points on 8-of-11 shooting to lead the Cardinals. He added nine rebounds.
• Tre Garrett had 14 points on 5-of-8 shooting while grabbing eight rebounds. 
• Delano Smith had 14 points, while Freddie McIntosh posted 11 points.  
• SVSU was 24-of-57 from the field, 4-of-16 from deep, and 15-of-22 from the free-throw line.
• Wayne State was 23-of-48 from the field, 4-of-15 from 3-point range, and 15-of-24 from the line.
• Darian Owens-White led Wayne State with 16 points.

Up next:

The Cardinals travel to rival Northwood University for a GLIAC contest. The game will begin at 6 pm Saturday night in Midland, Mich. 

 Postgame Interview with Head Coach Randy Baruth: