Commander Leads Lakers to Comeback Victory at No. 13 ONU

BOURBONNAIS, Ill. – Maurice Commander scored 20 of his 22 points in the second half to surge Roosevelt past Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference foe, 13-ranked Olivet Nazarene, 81-78 at McHie Arena on Saturday afternoon.

The first half was a back and forth affair that saw six lead changes and no lead larger than seven points. Forte Prater paced the Lakers (10-1, 4-0 CCAC) with 12 first half points, while David Swedura added six points of his own. A late spurt gave the Tigers a four-point lead, 33-29, at the break.

Roosevelt looked determined to start the second half with quick buckets from Julio Montes II and Prater tying the game at 33 apiece in less than a minute. With ONU up 37-35 just a few minutes later, Commander took control of the game, making back-to-back threes to put the Lakers up four. Over a six-minute stretch, Commander scored 13 of the Lakers 21 points as the margin extended to seven at 56-49.

Roosevelt maintained their advantage over the next several minutes, holding a 74-66 edge when the Tigers began clawing back. Despite a poor 5 of 9 showing from the free throw line in the first half, the Lakers showed focus from the stripe when it mattered most connecting on 11 of 13 free throws in the second half. Commander and Montes combined to go 6 for 6 from the charity stripe in the final minutes, while Sangolay Njie made a final free throw with a second left to secure the 81-78 victory.

While Prater and Commander shined with 19 and 22 points respectively, Swedura added nine points off the bench and Cody Mitchell added seven points of his own while bringing down 10 rebounds.

Roosevelt has a week to get ready for its next contest when they return home to the Lillian and Larry Goodman Center to take on the Trinity Christian Trolls on Saturday, December 16. Tip is set for 3 p.m.