Men's Basketball Loses CCAC Conference Match Up to First Place Olivet Nazarene 81-65

CHICAGO – The Roosevelt University men's basketball team squared off against first place Olivet Nazarene University in a CCAC Conference match-up on Wednesday, January 19, losing by the score of 81-65 at the Goodman Center.  The Lakers are now 7-5 in conference play and 12-7 overall on the season.

Caleb Brown gave the Lakers a quick 5-0 lead to begin the game behind a layup and a three-pointer, but the Tigers answered with the next nine points to go ahead 9-5 just under five minutes in.  Brown came through again for RU with a tip in to pull the Lakers to within 15-14, but Olivet Nazarene came back with six straight points to lead 21-14 and pushed its lead to 24-16 with 9:03 to go.  The Lakers then evened the score at 26-26 fueled by five more points from Brown, but the Tigers immediately regained the lead and took a 41-31 advantage into the locker room at the half.

The Lakers pulled to within 42-34 early in the second half on a three-point shot from Anthony Martinez, but the Tigers quickly restored their double-digit lead and slowly pulled away to build a lead as large as 24 points.  Roosevelt was able to cut into that lead, but could not overcome the deficit and dropped the league game 81-65.

GAME DETAILS

Score:   Olivet Nazarene                41           40           81
                Roosevelt                            31           34           65

Records: Roosevelt 12-7, 7-5 (CCAC) | Olivet Nazarene 17-3, 11-1 (CCAC)

Location: Goodman Center | Chicago, Ill.

KEY STATS

• Caleb Brown registered a double-double with 16 points & 13 rebounds to go with three blocks
• Matt Myers scored 10 points & had three assists
• The Lakers were held to 32.9% shooting from the field & 31% from three-point range
• The Tigers shot 51.8% overall & 31.3% from behind the three-point line
• ONU shot 75% from the free throw line & had 13 more attempts than RU
• RU held a slight 42 to 40 rebound advantage, but ONU outscored RU 46 to 26 in the paint
  

NEWS & NOTES

• RU has now lost two straight CCAC Conference games
• ONU leads the CCAC with an 11-1 record & is receiving votes in the latest NAIA Top 25 Poll
• The Lakers are now 5-12 versus the Tigers in the all-time series
• Click here to view the current CCAC Conference standings

NEXT UP

The Lakers continue CCAC Conference action on Saturday, January 22 when they travel to Whiting, Ind. to take on Calumet College of St. Joseph.  Tip-off is set for 3pm at the Rittenmeyer Center on the campus of Calumet St. Joseph.