Men's Basketball Gives 25th-Ranked Holy Cross (Ind.) All It Could Handle In Narrow 62-59 Loss
CHICAGO – The Roosevelt men's basketball team took 25th-ranked Holy Cross (Ind.) to the limit until the final horn sounded, as the Lakers gave the CCAC's co-leaders all they could handle for 40 minutes before Josh Redic's game-tying three-point attempt bounced off the rim in the waning seconds to allow the Saints to escape with a 62-59 decision at the Goodman Center on Saturday.
Lucas Jordan matched the high-scoring mark for the game with 17 points off the bench, connecting on four three-pointers and three big trifectas in the second half, while Matt Myers added 13 points and Brian Kern had his first RU double-double of 11 points and a game-high 10 rebounds for the Lakers (6-16, 6-8 CCAC).
Redic made three three-pointers for nine points and nearly connected on his fourth in the biggest moment, as the Lakers trailed by three with the ball in the final seconds. He attempted a leaning three from the top of the arc with numerous defenders draped around him, and his contest-knotting try bounced off the back of the rim and into the hands of Parker Sims.
Larenzo Moore led four Saints in double figures with 17 to match Jordan.
The Saints (18-5, 13-2 CCAC) led for most of the game but could never pull away from the gritty Lakers.
Roosevelt rallied back from a 10-point first-half deficit and got within one early in the second, setting the stage for a closely-contested contest for the remainder of the second half.
The Lakers came back from another 10-point deficit in the second to get within one on multiple occasions late. Jordan (12 points) and Myers (11 points) were the offensive catalysts after intermission, keeping the Lakers within striking distance.
Jordan Gaines made a three with 2:16 left to make it a four-point game, and after Kern made a bucket to get Roosevelt within two, Storm Cook split a pair at the free throw line to make it a three-point affair.
Roosevelt had three chances to close the gap during the final 90 seconds, but a turnover, a missed three by Quin Riggins and Redic's last-second miss did not result in the OT-eliciting bucket.
"We had number one on the ropes but just couldn't make enough plays on either side of the ball to close it out," Roosevelt head coach Joe Griffin said. "Holy Cross is a great team and one that mirrors us in some ways, but their experience won out. They really guarded us well and, other than Lucas and Josh and Kern hitting shots, they made it tough. They were very efficient on offense and used their size to score.
"We will build off this game as we approach the final quarter of the season."
Roosevelt welcomes Calumet St. Joseph to the Goodman Center this Wednesday at 7:30 p.m.