Sophomores forward Kenny Goins and guard Matt McQuaid rounded at the starters.

Freshman guard Josh Langford was again out of the game with an injury. Langford missed the game against Northwood University as well, with his debut anticipated for the regular season.

After a slow start to the game in their first exhibition game against Northwood, the Spartans jumped out to a 13-3 start. They were led by Bridges and Harris, who combined for all 13 points in the MSU run.

Bridges was again showing out after a booming opener, contributing a couple blocks to go with his dunks within the first five minutes of the match.

MSU hit a scoreless stretch lasting about five minutes as the turnovers started to pile up. In a 5:33 stretch, the Spartans committed six turnovers, allowing the Cardinals to creep back into the game.

Saginaw Valley went on a 9-2 run to make it somewhat of a nail-biting affair.  At one point, Harris came back on the floor from the bench but was taken out almost immediately by Izzo after an offensive foul.

A little over halfway through the first, only three Spartans had scored following the hot start. Bridges, Harris, and freshman guard Cassius Winston had combined for all 18 points.

With the score still close and after some back and forth between the two teams, MSU received some cushion by McQuaid. He had a 7-0 run all by himself after knocking down a couple free throws.

MSU continued to add to its lead after a Winston to Bridges alley-oop, and-1 dunk got the crowd cheering and on their feet. A 13-4 run put the home team comfortably ahead once again by double digits.

The run was helped out by the MSU defense, as the team started to amp up its pressure. The Cardinals went a full three-minute stretch without scoring a field goal.

While the turnovers were a pesky problem for MSU, the Cardinals didn't lag too far behind in that department. Careless mistakes for the opposing team resulted in nine turnovers at the end of the first half. The Spartans, though, chipped in 11 of their own by the break.

By the final shot, there were a combined 25 total fouls between the two teams. Both teams were in the bonuses after numerous whistles were called by the referees on both teams.

Going into the break, the Spartans were led by Bridges who scored 14 points and McQuaid who quietly added 12 points of his own. The two were the only players in double-digit scoring figures between the Cardinals and Spartans.

At the end of the first half, MSU led Saginaw Valley State by a score of 42-28, giving them a comfortable lead.