UNIVERSITY CENTER - The Lake Superior State men's basketball team inched its record above the .500 mark by winning 77-64 at Saginaw Valley State on Sunday.

The Lakers finished 3-0 for the week, improving to 5-4 overall and 2-2 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference. Four of their last five games have been on the road, and their next game is Dec. 20 at Tiffin.

LSSU cut a nine-point first-half deficit to 41-40 by halftime. The Lakers stymied the Cardinals in the second half by limiting them to five field goals and 23.8 percent shooting. SVSU shot 55 percent from the field in the first half.

Saginaw Valley State (0-5 overall, 0-3 GLIAC) extended its slim lead to five points early in the second half, but Laker Tim VanOudheusden made two field goals, and Garrett Konuszewski and Ryan Kuhl added one each during an 8-1 run that gave LSSU a 48-46 lead with 14:17 remaining in the game.

LSSU held the Cardinals to one point from the 6:57 mark until Avery Stephenson made a layup with 1:26 to go. The Lakers, meanwhile, built an 11-point command as VanOudheusden scored nine points during the 11-1 run. He finished with 24 points and six rebounds, and shot 11-of-20 from the field.

Kuhl scored 13 points and Mark Morse added 10 for the Lakers. Scott Perkins finished with seven points, a team-high seven rebounds and four assists. Konuszewski totaled seven points, five rebounds, four assists and three steals. Kyle Hunt came off the bench to add eight points and three steals.

LSSU shot 47.5 percent from the field, making 6-of-14 three-point field-goal attempts and 15-of-20 free throws.

Lawrence Ross scored 19 points to lead Saginaw Valley State, which shot 42 percent from the field, including 5-of-17 from three-point range and 17-of-23 at the free-throw line. The Cardinals held a 35-34 rebounding edge, but totaled 22 turnovers to LSSU's 13.

Box Score