There was very little Tiffin University did wrong in the second half against Saginaw Valley State.
The Dragons scored 52 points, shot 73 percent (14 of 19) from the floor, and turned a once close game into a blowout, defeating the Cardinals 84-63.
"We did a very nice job in the second half, moving the ball, hitting the open man," Tiffin coach John Hill said. "We ran a couple of excellent things."
There was a stretch where TU was practically flawless. The Dragons went eight consecutive offensive possessions - five and a half minutes of game time - in which they scored.
What made the run more impressive was that much of it happened with the starters on the bench. Mike Brown registered a three-point play, and Isaiah Twine had four points in what became a 16-point spurt.
The TU bench contributed 30 points. Twine, a senior, had six.
Fact Box
Tiffin 84,
Saginaw Valley State 63
Saginaw Valley State (3-2, 1-1): Kellen Smith 3-0-6; Rob Clark 1-4-6; Jay Thames 2-1-5; Chris Webb 7-3-20; Brett Beland 3-0-9; Vincent Adams 0-0-0; Damon Bozeman 0-0-0; Stone Beckwith 3-0-9; Sterling Johnson 3-0-7; Matt Burgess 0-1-1. Totals: 22-9-63
Tiffin (3-3, 1-1): Michael Bouley 2-0-4; Eric Roby 3-3-9; Mike Boan 5-6-16; Cody Dennison 2-7-11; Joe Graessle 6-9-23; Isaiah Twine 2-2-6; Mike Brown 1-3-5; Mohamed Rage 0-1-1; Andrew Bendolph 1-0-3; Jonathan Sutherlin 1-0-2; Khaleal McCormick 2-0-4. Totals: 25-31-84.
Halftime:?Tiffin, 32-25.
Field goals: Saginaw Valley State 22-61; Tiffin 25-43.
3-point goals: Saginaw Valley State 10-29 (Beckwith 3, Beland 3, Webb 3, Johnson); Tiffin 3-7 (Graessle 2, Bendolph).
Foul shots: Saginaw Valley State 9-14; Tiffin 31-43.
Rebounds: Saginaw Valley State 33 (Clark 10); Tiffin 34 (Bouley 7).
Turnovers: Saginaw Valley State 19; Tiffin 14.
Assists: Saginaw Valley State 16; Tiffin 19 (Graessle 7).
"That's our job, to come in and bring energy," Twine said.
Joe Graessle, after a tough shooting night Thursday against Wayne State, bounced back, making 6 of 10 shots and 9 of 11 free throws for 23 points.
Graessle also had seven assists and five steals.
"Our plan was to go out and try to get a lead, because we knew (Saginaw Valley State) always like to take the shot clock down and run their stuff," Graessle said. "We executed our game plan, pretty close to perfect."
Mike Boan, a forward who transferred from Wright State, had perhaps his best game as a Dragon, with 16 points, six rebounds and three blocks.
Boan also had a tough game against Wayne State on Thursday night, being held scoreless in the Dragons' loss.
"I just came out here with that same intensity I came out with last time," Boan said. "Shots were just falling for me today."
The Dragons improved to 3-3, 1-1 in the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference.
"We got the monkey off our back, got the young guys some confidence going on the road," Boan said. "With some of our seniors leading us, we look like we're gonna be really good this season.
Cody Dennison, one of those seniors, had 11 points and four assists, while teammate Eric Roby had nine points and five rebounds.
Saginaw Valley State (2-3, 1-1) was led by Chris Webb, who had 20 points, while Rob Clark had 10 boards to go with six points.
