Commander Pushes No. 14 Lakers Past Trolls On Road

PALOS HEIGHTS, Ill. – Roosevelt had three players finish in double figures in the second half to pull away from Trinity Christian 75-71 on Saturday afternoon in a Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference matchup in Palos Heights.

Maurice Commander led the way for the 14^th-ranked Lakers (19-3, 13-1 CCAC) with 15 of his 25 points coming over the final 20 minutes. The graduate student made 5 of 6 from the field in the second half to help the Lakers stay in front of the Trolls. Roosevelt then stayed calm at the free-throw line, making 11 of 13 in the second half to seal the victory.

Forte Prater scored all 12 of his points in the second half, and they came at a critical time for the Lakers in the period. Trinity Christian took its only lead of the half with 8:19 remaining, but Prater responded with 10 straight points for the Lakers to push the lead out to five points. He then added a pair of free throws in the closing moments to reach his 12 points.

Julio Montes II also scored 12 points in the second half and finished with 14 in the game. David Swedura chipped in eight points and Sangolay Njie secured a team-best six rebounds in addition to his seven points on the day.

As has been the case all season, the defense gave the Lakers a needed spark at times, scoring 16 points off 14 takeaways. Roosevelt also held Trinity Christian to under 29 percent from 3-point range in the game, including just 1 of 8 from behind the arc in the second half.

Roosevelt returns home Wednesday evening at 7:30 p.m. to face crosstown foe Saint Xavier at the Goodman Center in another key CCAC battle.