SVSU
Cardinal Men's Basketball
1999-2000 News

Ode Sparks Cardinal Comeback

UNIVERSITY CENTER – Saginaw Valley State University found a spark in its last non-conference game of the season and may be able to ignite a stretch run to make the GLIAC post-season tournament.
     On a night when senior Brian Vaughn (Saginaw/Buena Vista) announced the end of his career, fellow-senior Josh Ode (Freeland) turned in his best game of the season, leading the Cardinals to an 80-67 win over Rochester College.
     Vaughn attempted to come back from a torn anterior cruciate ligament in early season, but after two games last week, decided the injury would not allow him to contribute and will miss the remainder of the campaign.
     Ode scored 15 of his game-high 22 points in the second half and cleared 10 rebounds. His dunk with 12:45 left was called off by a questionable charging call, but on the next Cardinal possession he nailed a three-pointer that forced a Warrior timeout.
     Ode was animated in the Cardinal huddle during the timeout which may have given his team a boost. Shortly after the timeout, SVSU took over the game momentum. After trailing by as many eight points in the second half, the Cardinals out-scored the Warriors 15-0 to turn a 58-53 deficit into a 68-58 lead.
     "It's always heartening to see Ode step up and have a great game, make shots and come up with rebounds," said Cardinal Coach Dean Lockwood. "We saw him play the way he's capable. When he's healthy he's one of the better players in this league."
     Hampered by injuries all season, Ode had scored a total of 20 points in the last five Cardinal games, sitting out one with a thigh injury.
     The Cardinals dominated a 10-minute stretch late in the second half, out-scoring Rochester 28-6, until Lockwood cleared his bench.
     A trio of Cardinals scored in double figures off the bench. Junior Richard Rashad (Inkster/Wayne Memorial) scored 12 points and grabbed a game-high 11 rebounds as SVSU had a 44-36 edge on the glass. Junior Vernon Malone (Kankakee, IL) had 11 points and 10 assists.
     Junior starters Terrence Wright (Saginaw/Buena Vista) and Sean Stewart (Tyler, TX/John Tyler) had 12 and 10 points, respectively.
     Pete Males led Rochester with 20 points and Mike Robinson added 12. The Warriors dropped to 7-14 overall, while the Cardinals halted a two-game losing streak to improved to 8-9.
     "It's always tough to play a non-conference game this late in January," said Lockwood. "Rochester's record doesn't reflect the type they are. They've played a number of GLIAC teams tough."
     The Cardinals embark on a five-game road swing, beginning Saturday at Lake Superior State University.

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