MILWAUKEE – Playing without injured veterans Brandyn Denson and Kyle Miklasz, the shorthanded Roosevelt men's basketball team faced the daunting task of taking on the nation's top-ranked team on the road with two starters in street clothes on Saturday, and a valiant effort by the Lakers came up short in an 80-65 loss to No. 1 Cardinal Stritch at Panella Court.
The Lakers (7-4, 5-4 CCAC) had their six-game regular-season winning streak snapped by the host Wolves (12-0, 9-0 CCAC).
Elliott Vaughn scored a team- and career-high 15 points, Aaron Valerio added 13 and Tyree York contributed 12 points and five assists.
Darren Moore scored a game-high 20 for Cardinal Stritch.
With Denson (eye) and Miklasz (shoulder) out due to injuries suffered in the Lakers' previous two games this week, Roosevelt entered the contest without its leading rebounder and one of its top shooters while taking a hit in the depth department.
Despite missing two starters, the Lakers did their best to keep within striking distance of a run at the Wolves. Roosevelt's deficit reached as many as 23 points early in the second half, but the Lakers whittled it down to 13 with less than six minutes to go.
The Lakers could not get any closer, though, as Roosevelt went scoreless for a two-minute stretch in the late stages of the game that proved too much to overcome.
"Due to foul trouble, we played some different lineups versus an experienced team in Cardinal Stritch, and their experience gave them a big first-half lead," said Roosevelt head coach Joe Griffin. "However, I am proud of the way we came back. Going into halftime down 21, we had all the excuses in the world to crumble, but our guys didn't. We still had a chance to win near the end. With the circumstances the way they were, some guys really stepped up and played a larger role for us."
Roosevelt stayed in the game by shooting 51 percent (23-for-45) from the field. Cardinal Stritch was nearly as good from the floor, hitting exactly half of its 62 attempts, to ward off the Lakers.
"We've had a rigorous stretch," said Griffin, referring to his team's four games in the last eight days and a jam-packed slate in the season's first month-plus. "We're going to take this next week, get finals out of the way, heal our bodies and do everything we can to improve as a team."
Roosevelt will take a break from game action for finals week. The Lakers return home to host NCAA Division III Concordia University Chicago at the Lillian and Larry Goodman Center on Sunday, Dec. 16 at 4 p.m.
