SVSU
Cardinal Men's Basketball
1999-2000 News

Cardinals Drop Opener to Clarion

CLARION, PA – Clarion University got the Saginaw Valley State University men's basketball season off on the wrong foot with an 86-79 win in the Subway/KFC Classic.
     The Golden Eagles grabbed 16 offensive rebounds and forced 12 first-half turnovers by the Cardinals.
     "The story of the game was that we gave up 16 offensive rebounds to our six and had too many turnovers in the first half," said second-year Cardinal Coach Dean Lockwood, whose squad coughed up 12 first-half turnovers. "It was close game in all other areas."
     Bulking up the front line was a major emphasis for Lockwood in the offseason, adding 6-9 senior transfer Greg Mallek (Merrill). After the Cardinals got the ball to him in the second half, he scored six quick points, then picked up three quick fouls and sat out much of the second half.
     Lockwood did unveil a late addition to his roster, 6-7 sophomore Antonio Sherrell (Detroit/Bishop Gallagher), who has lettered two years as a defensive lineman for the Cardinal football team. Sherrell was one of 10 Cardinals who played at least 7 minutes.
     Clarion took advantage of the SVSU miscues to build a 45-39 halftime lead. The Eagles had only eight turnovers in the game, while the Cards finished with 17. The hosts also had a 39-33 rebounding edge.
     Senior Brian Vaughn (Saginaw/Buena Vista) led SVSU with 18 points and also grabbed 7 rebounds. Senior Josh Ode (Freeland) came off the bench for 16 points and a team-high 9 boards. Sophomore Terrence Wright (Saginaw/Buena Vista) added 13 points, while junior transfer Vernon Malone (Kankakee, IL) had 12 points and five assists.
     "It was our first outing and showed us that we have some things to improve on," said Lockwood, "and we will get better. It's always disappointing to lose, but I'm not disappointed in our effort."
     Junior Chris Kelly led all scorers with 20 points for the Eagle, while sophomore forwards David Shearer and Allen Stevens had 19 and 18, respectively.
     SVSU will play Kutztown University, PA, Saturday night at 8 p.m.

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