Strong Shooting Propels 14th-Ranked Lakers Past St. Francis

JOLIET, Ill. – A strong shooting display in the second half was more than enough to keep No. 14 Roosevelt atop the Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference with a 74-68 win over St. Francis on Saturday afternoon in Joliet.

The Lakers (20-3, 15-1 CCAC) lit up the Pat Sullivan Center from behind the arc in the final 20 minutes, thanks largely to Julio Montes II and David Swedura. The pair made all seven of their 3-point attempts in the second half to buoy Roosevelt's 9 of 15 from long range in the period.

Montes made the first big shot of the day, draining a 3-pointer right after St. Francis took the lead in the second half to give the Lakers the lead for good. The sophomore guard also added the free throw on the play to convert the rare four-point play. He came down on the Lakers' next possession and drained another 3 before Swedura had his turn.

The grad transfer from Mount Prospect made 3-pointers on consecutive possessions to extend Roosevelt's lead to eight with seven minutes left. He then all but ended the game with 38 seconds left with a 3-pointer to put the Lakers up nine before adding four free throws at the end to seal the deal.

Forte Prater joined the Montes-Swedura duo in double figures with 13 points with five big points to help the Lakers separate themselves in the second half. Yet Swedura was a perfect 4 for 4 from the floor and 4 for 4 from the free throw line for 16 points in the second half to finish with 19. Montes complemented that with 12 of his 20 coming in the last 20 minutes.

Cody Mitchell's return to the lineup was again felt as he scored seven points and led the team with 10 rebounds. Prater added nine boards and Sangolay Njie secured five to add in the effort on the glass. Maurice Commander and Prater both had four assists in the win that kept the Lakers atop the conference by two games with five contests remaining.

The Lakers will try to shrink their magic number down some more Wednesday night in Davenport, Iowa as they face off with St. Ambrose at 7:30 p.m.