Lakers Defeat Michigan-Dearborn 81-56 Behind Freshman Trenton Kyler's 21 Points & Eight Steals

CHICAGO – The Roosevelt University men's basketball team returned to the court after a 12-day layoff, defeating the University of Michigan-Dearborn by the score of 81-56 in a non-conference contest on Thursday, December 30 at the Goodman Center.  The victory raised the Lakers overall record to 10-4 on the year.

The two teams traded the lead in the early parts of the first half before the Wolverines went ahead and built a 22-15 advantage.  However, the Lakers pulled to within 22-21 with 7:55 to go on four points from Ayomide Ajiboye and a two-point basket by Matt Myers.  The home team continued to take a hold of the game and led 33-29 at the half, fueled by seven points from Anthony Martinez during the late run.

RU pushed its lead to 39-30 to begin the second half and increased that lead to 50-33 behind a three-point play by Myers with 13:44 to play.  UM-Dearborn came back with a 13-3 run to cut the deficit to 53-46 with 10:22 to go and then both teams went scoreless for the next three minutes.  From that point on, the Lakers took control of the game, exploding offensively for the 81-56 win behind nine points from Trenton Kyler and six points from Ajiboye.

GAME DETAILS

Score:   UM-Dearborn   29           27           56
                Roosevelt            33           48           81

Records: Roosevelt 10-4 | UM-Dearborn 3-11

Location: Goodman Center | Chicago, Ill.

KEY STATS

• Trenton Kyler scored a game-high 21 points to go with a game-high eight steals
• Matt Myers tallied 12 points , five assists, four rebounds, & three steals
• Ayomide Ajiboye recorded 11 points, seven rebounds, & three assists
• Anthony Martinez had nine points & six rebounds
• Lucas Jordan also added nine points
• Saadique Perkins pulled down six rebounds
• The Lakers shot 46.4% overall & 32.1% from three-point range
• UM-Dearborn shot 34.4% from the field & 31.3% from behind the arc
• RU held a 44 to 39 rebound advantage over the Wolverines

NEWS & NOTES

• Freshman Trenton Kyler has scored 21 points in two consecutive games
• The Lakers & Wolverines are now even at 2-2 in the all-time series

NEXT UP

The Lakers have a quick turnaround as they host Madonna University on Friday, December 31.  Tip-off for the non-conference contest is scheduled for 3pm at the Goodman Center in Chicago.