SAULT STE. MARIE – Saginaw Valley State University opened a grueling five-game road trip by pulling out a 92-86 victory at Lake Superior State University Saturday.
     The Cardinals let a 16-point second-half lead slip away and trailed by a point in the final minute, but a bucket by junior Vernon Malone (Kankakee, IL) gave the lead back to SVSU with 48 seconds left and a three-pointer by senior Rashard Carson (Toledo, OH/Rogers) iced the win with 14 seconds left.
     The Cards could be a dangerous post-season team if they can dig out of the hole they've dug. The win leap-frogged SVSU past the Lakers into fifth place in the GLIAC North Division with a 3-8 record, while LSSU fell to 3-9.
     SVSU has had second half leads in five of its eight league losses, including a 19-point bulge in one game and an 11-point advantage in another. The Cards also own a win over South co-leader Ashland (8-2) and narrowly lost to North leader Northern Michigan by three points.
     "Well you know us," said second-year coach Dean Lockwood, "we're not going to be satisfied with a lead. "The way this happened, coming back to snatch a win, could be a big boost for us.
     "We've still got four huge road games coming up and we've got to snag two or three wins out of that stretch to have a legitimate shot (at the playoffs)."
     Down 18-10 early, SVSU got hot from the three-point arc and fought back to a 42-36 halftime lead. The Cards had a 71-55 lead with 8:14 left before the Lakers surged back to take an 84-83 lead with 1:24 remaining.
     Six different players hit three pointers as SVSU made a season-high 14 of 27 from the arc.
     "We had a number of guys shoot well today," said Lockwood, who has had seven different players lead the team in scoring this year. "When we get a lot of guys involved, more than two going good, we've got a chance to be effective. Good shooting makes up for a multitude of sins."
     Malone led SVSU with 21 points and nine assists, while junior Sean Stewart (Tyler, TX/John Tyler) had 16, sophomore Terrence Wright (Saginaw/Buena Vista) had 15 and Jeff Harris (South Bend, IN/St. Joseph's) chipped in 12.
     SVSU improved to 9-9 overall despite being out-rebounded 46-36. The Cards committed a season low seven turnovers.
     Laker center Mike Hammill scored a game-high 32 points and had 15 rebounds, including seven offensive boards. Brandon Miller scored 21 for the Lakers.
     The Cardinals travel to Grand Valley State University next Thursday and play at Ferris State University on Saturday.

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