Second half causing problems for Cards

January 22, 2007 —

The Cardinals had a chance to distance themselves from the rest of the pack in the GLIAC North this weekend, but let two halftime leads slip away.

SVSU is now tied for second, behind No. 8 Grand Valley State, with Lake Superior State at 4-5 and a half-game ahead of 4-6 Michigan Tech and Northern Michigan.

Sixth-ranked Findlay took the Cardinals' best shot on Thursday night, as SVSU led the Oilers, now 16-1 on the season, 29-28 after 20 minutes. SVSU increased the lead to six less than a minute into the second half, but Findlay went on a 15-4 run to take back the game and won 77-60.

Sophomore guards Lawrence Ross and Dorian Pierce combined for 32 of the Cardinals' 60 points, while junior Chris Johnston added nine points off the bench.

Ross, who earned GLIAC North Player of the Week honors last week for his play against Gannon and Mercyhurst on Jan. 11 and 13, wasn't as successful against Ashland on Saturday. He scored 13 on just 2-of-8 shooting as the Eagles outscored the Cardinals 45-33 in the second half for a 79-68 victory.

The Cardinals shot 37 percent for the game and just 33 percent in the decisive second half. Former Cardinals guard Rob McRae scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds.

SVSU has another chance to find a comfortable spot in the division as it hosts Michigan Tech on Thursday and Northern Michigan on Saturday.