Roosevelt Blazes Past Governors State With Tenacious Defense

CHICAGO – There was no slowing down No. 13 Roosevelt on Wednesday night at the Goodman Center as the Lakers blitzed past Governors State 86-63 in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup.

Roosevelt (17-2, 11-0 CCAC) raced out to a 7-0 lead after just three minutes and never looked back in a complete team effort on both sides of the floor. In a dominant first half, the Lakers shot better than 48 percent from the field and made 5 of 9 from behind the arc with all nine players who saw action getting on the scoresheet. They were equally as dominant on the other side, holding Governors State to just 17 percent shooting while holding a 27-15 edge in rebounding.

The Lakers were even better offensively in the second half, shooting 53 percent from the floor to extend their lead out to as many as 38. Roosevelt was unselfish with the ball by dishing out 23 assists in the victory, its most in a game since the season opener against Benedictine. Forte Prater led the way with six helpers as five players had at least three assists on the evening.

Even though the Jaguars cut the final deficit to 23 points in the final minutes, they still struggled to score from the field. Governors State shot just 36 percent in the second half and 27.7 percent for the entire game, which included 26 percent from behind the arc. The Lakers also finished with a 49-34 edge on the glass and a 36-26 advantage in points from the paint.

Five different Lakers finished in double figures, led by 14 from Julio Montes II, and three other players finished with at least seven points in a balanced scoring effort. Maurice Commander scored all nine of his points in the first half after knocking down all three of his 3-point attempts. Malcolm Townsel also added nine points while Daniel Reed scored seven and added six rebounds.

The rebounds were dominated by the unlikely duo of Sangolay Njie and David Swedura. Njie had 10 points and nine boards from his spot at center, but Swedura flew in from the perimeter for eight rebounds in addition to also scoring 10 points. Shane Stevensen scored 10 points in his return to the starting lineup and Prater added 12 to go along with his six helpers.

Roosevelt will attempt to keep the streak alive at 3 p.m. Saturday against Calumet St. Joseph in another CCAC contest in Whiting, Ind.