Lakers Upended At Buzzer By William Woods

FULTON, Mo. – A buzzer-beating layup snapped Roosevelt's unbeaten start to the season as William Woods upended the Lakers 58-56 in a non-league game in Fulton, Mo.

It was a very even game with neither team leading by more than five points the entire way while the lead changed hands six times and it was tied on six occasions. As it has done so often this season, the Lakers (4-1) feasted on their takeaways by turning 19 turnovers from the Owls into 23 points. However, Roosevelt had an abnormally poor shooting night from behind the arc, making just 5 of 26 from 3-point range.

The Lakers claimed their five-point advantage early in the first half after Maurice Commander sank a free throw just six minutes into the game. The Owls' largest lead was a four-point edge four minutes into the second half, but Roosevelt countered within a minute with a Malcolm Townsel layup and Julio Montes II 3-pointer to reclaim the lead.

After Cody Mitchell tied the game with 2:18 left in regulation, Roosevelt had two chances to take the lead after steals from Commander and David Swedura. Yet the Lakers missed on both shot attempts off those takeaways.

Townsel led the Lakers with a game-high 13 points while Forte Prater chipped in 12 and Mitchell had 10. Both Commander and Montes had off shooting nights, combining to make just 4 of 22 shots from the field and score 12 points.

The Lakers return home Tuesday night to open their final season in the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 7:30 p.m. tipoff against Holy Cross at the Goodman Center.

UPDATE: On Feb. 27, William Woods submitted documentation of an ineligible player participating in the contest. As a result, Roosevelt is awarded a 2-0 win by forfeit.