Roosevelt Earns Revenge Against IU Northwest

GARY, Ind. – Roosevelt avenged its only conference loss of the season with a dominant 80-54 victory over Indiana University Northwest on Wednesday night in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference game in Gary, Ind.

The RedHawks scored the first points of the game, but after Matt Myers made three free throws just two minutes into the game, the Lakers never trailed again. Roosevelt (12-6, 9-1 CCAC) used a 13-2 run in the middle of the first half to take control of the game then closed the contest on a 19-3 run to secure the victory. It was a stark contrast from the first time these teams met when IU Northwest controlled most of the game en route to a seven-point win in November.

One of the big difference makers Wednesday was recent addition Maurice Commander, who scored 13 of his 15 points in the first half. The transfer connected on three of his four 3-point attempts in the first half and nailed all four free throws to help the Lakers lead by 13 at the intermission. Commander also finished with eight rebounds as part of a strong effort from Roosevelt on the glass.

The second half started out as a slog for both teams after Roosevelt and IU Northwest shot at least 48 percent from the field in the opening 20 minutes. The Lakers scored just four points in the first five-plus minutes of the second half, but the RedHawks were only able to cut the deficit to seven during that span. IU Northwest shot less than 30 percent from the field in the second half and missed all 10 of its 3-point attempts. Meanwhile, the Lakers heated up as the second half progressed and ended up shooting 12 of 32 from the field in the final 20 minutes.

The defense played a large role in Roosevelt's win, especially with how active the Lakers were on that end of the floor. The Lakers forced the RedHawks into 17 turnovers and turned those mistakes in 24 points. They also held the RedHawks to 38.5 percent shooting in the game, including 5 of 22 from 3-point range, a major reason. Roosevelt outscored IU Northwest 24-12 in the paint as part of its 41-32 edge in rebounding as they controlled the area around the basket.

Julio Montes II scored 10 of his 14 points in the second half by fighting his way to the free throw line, shooting 7 of 8 from the stripe. Ayo Ajiboye showed off his toughness with eight points and seven rebounds in the second half to finish with 12 points and 11 boards in the game for his second double-double of the season, both of which have come against the RedHawks.  Yuri Swinford struggled in the first meeting with IU Northwest, but led the Lakers on Wednesday with 19 points.

Roosevelt returns to the Goodman Center on Saturday for the first time in nearly a month when it hosts St. Ambrose at 3 p.m. in a CCAC matchup.