Warriors Defeat SVSU In GLIAC Opener

The Wayne State men's basketball team took an early 20-point lead at the half and held off Saginaw Valley State, 80-69, in WSU's home opener on Saturday (Dec. 1) at the Matthaei Complex. The Warriors are now 3-2 overall, 1-0 in the GLIAC.

The Warriors used tough defense to jump out to a 16-2 lead in the first nine minutes of play and carried a 38-18 lead into the locker room. Saginaw Valley would make a second half surge and cut the lead to 69-63 with just over a minute to play in the game. However, WSU would make 10-of-12 free throws in the final 1:13 to take control and pull out the victory.

Senior Mike Brown (Ann Arbor/Huron) scored a game-high 23 points, which included an 8-for-10 performance from the free throw line. Junior Kendall LeSure (Detroit/Pershing) added 14 points and three assists, while junior Justin Chapman (Toledo, Ohio/Rogers) posted 13 points and a team-high eight rebounds and four assists.

The Warriors held SVSU to 40 percent shooting for the game, while totaling 15 assists to just seven for the Cardinals.

The Warriors will continue the season on Monday, Dec. 3 when they host Northwood at 7:30 p.m. in the Matthaei Complex.