Lakers Keep Hot Offense Going With Rout Of Phantoms

CHICAGO – For the third time in the Dee Brown era, Roosevelt eclipsed the century mark with a 102-67 win over East-West at the Goodman Center on Sunday afternoon.

In a rare feat, the Lakers (4-0) led for all 40 minutes after Julio Montes II knocked down a free throw prior to tip-off after the Phantoms were assessed a pregame technical foul. Roosevelt began to pull away for good in the middle of the first half as Forte Prater warmed up from the perimeter. The guard hit three 3-pointers in the first half and scored 14 points as the Lakers built a 20-point lead with seven minutes left in the half.

East-West trimmed the deficit to 16 at intermission, but Roosevelt held the Phantoms to just one field goal in the first six minutes of the second half to open up a 29-point lead. The lead would balloon to as large as 36 in the second half, but never dropped below 25 as the Lakers cruised to their fourth straight win to open the season. It is the third-best start to a season in program history, trailing only the 2013-14 squad that won five straight to open the season and the 2017-18 team that won its first nine contests.

Once again, Roosevelt excelled in the turnover battle, committing just four while forcing 19 from East-West. The Lakers turned those mistakes into 21 points for themselves, which helped to extend the lead in the first half. The Lakers also held an advantage in second-chance points, converting nine offensive rebounds into 10 points, and points in the paint, where Roosevelt held a 44-38 edge.

Prater finished with 20 points to lead the five Lakers who finished in double figures. Malcolm Townsel worked his way to the foul line eight times and made seven of them to finish with 16 points on 4 of 5 shooting. Montes scored 12 points after heating up from behind the arc in the second half and added a team-best six assists as well.

Maurice Commander chipped in 13 points and Kani Acree scored 10 points in his season debut for Roosevelt, making 3 of 5 from the field and shooting 4 of 4 from the foul line. Cody Mitchell secured 10 rebounds but fell one point shy of a double-double with just nine points. Aedon Campos added his first career collegiate points with a pair of corner 3-pointers to finish with six points on a perfect 2 for 2 shooting.

The Lakers return to the floor Saturday at 1 p.m. in Fulton, Mo. for a matchup against William Woods.