DETROIT -- Tamario Adley (Detroit, Mich. / Warren De La Salle [Macomb CC]) became the fifth player in program history to score 39 points in a single game on Thursday as the Wayne State University men's basketball (9-8 overall, 5-4 GLIAC) team held on to defeat Saginaw Valley State (6-11 overall, 2-7 GLIAC), 88-84.

HOW IT HAPPENED
First Half
Wayne State's biggest lead of the first half came right out of the gates as it scored nine of the game's initial 11 points.  Adley showed his hand early as he was responsible for four of those nine while Rob Lee, Jr. (Flint, Mich. / Beecher) added three and Kelvin Tamakloe (Accra, Ghana / Spring Creek Academy [Blinn College]) chipped in a pair.

Following another seven-point advantage for the home team at 12-5, Saginaw Valley State utilized a 10-3 spurt of its own to tie the contest up for a second time (2-2) at 15-15.  Tamakloe converted a layup to help weather the storm before the Cardinals' Toodles Seal knotted the score up for a third instance at 17-17.

Back on the other end, Adley was at it again, this time with his first three-pointer of the night and WSU regained three points of separation from SVSU, 20-17.

However, Saginaw Valley State proceeded to score 11 of the ensuing 15 points for its biggest lead of the night at four (28-24) with just over six minutes left on the clock.

The play was back and forth from there until halftime as it featured one deadlock (30-30) and three lead changes.  The last of those lead changes came at the 38-second mark when Lee, Jr. cashed a triple and put his team up two heading into the locker rooms.

Second Half
Out of the break, Wayne State rattled off 12 consecutive points to enlarge the margin to 14, 49-35.  In that span alone, Adley poured in 10 points and Tamakloe notched two more.

The Warriors would go on to lead by as many as 16 on four different occasions including 55-39, 57-41, 67-51 and 74-58.

Once it was 74-58 and there was 7:24 left to play, the Cardinals went on a 24-7 run that lasted all but 10 seconds of the remaining time.  That outburst pulled the visitors within three at 85-82.

Ray Williams, Jr. (Detroit, Mich. / Edison Public School Academy) then splashed one of two at the free throw line to make it a four-point game before Saginaw Valley State's Freddie McIntosh cut it to two with a layup and just four ticks of the clock left.

Adley then capped off his 39 points with a pair at the charity stripe and his team had put the victory on ice.

TEAM STATS
Saginaw Valley State out-shot Wayne State from the field, 54.5 percent (30-of-55) to 44.1 percent (26-of-59).  The Cardinals went 6-of-21 (28.6 percent) from deep to the Warriors' 10-of-33 (30.3 percent).  At the free throw line, WSU converted 26 of its 38 attempts (68.4 percent ) to SVSU's 18-of-24 (75 percent).  Saginaw Valley State won the rebounding battle by 13 (38-25) while Wayne State racked up 16 assists to just seven turnovers.  In the team head-to-head, the  Cardinals held the upper hand in bench scoring (39-13) and points in the paint (42-32) while the Warriors were on top for points off turnovers (23-11) and fast-break scoring (9-2).

LEADING THE WARRIORS
Adley's game- and career-high 39 points came just one point shy of the 40 that teammate Lee, Jr. put up a week ago at Northern Michigan.  This time around, Adley was one of three Warriors to score in double-figures along with Lee (15) and Tamakloe (11, career high).  Adley and Tamakloe both paced the squad on the glass thanks to five rebounds apiece.  Adley's night didn't end there as he also led the team in assists with five and steals with four.  Also on defense, Williams, Jr. and Carlos Paul III (Southfield, Mich. / Cornerstone Lincoln-King [Missouri State - West Plains]) each blocked a field goal attempt.

LEADING THE CARDINALS
Three Cardinals scored at least 13 points including McIntosh with 25, Seal with 15 and Nate Washburn with 13.  Niko Newsome was two points and two boards shy of a double-double.

UP NEXT
Wayne State will be off on Saturday before hosting brand new GLIAC member Roosevelt on Monday night beginning at 7:30 p.m.  That meeting will mark the first-ever showdown between the two schools.