CHICAGO – Joe Harks scored 23 points and Jeremiah Jackson turned in his fifth double-double of the season, but a 16-3 run by 23rd-ranked Saint Xavier broke a 44-44 tie early in the second half and sent the Roosevelt men's basketball team to an 88-65 loss at the Shannon Center on Saturday afternoon.
Harks scored 20-plus points for the second straight game while Jackson tallied 17 points to go with his 10 rebounds for the visiting Lakers (12-8, 8-7 CCAC).
Brad Karp scored a game-high 29 and pulled down a contest-best 19 boards for the Cougars (17-4, 13-2 CCAC), who won for the sixth consecutive time.
Roosevelt stayed within striking distance of the hosts after falling behind by 12 early in the game, rallying to get within five on a couple of occasions before trailing by just six at the break.
The Lakers would eventually even the game by starting the second half on an 11-5 spurt, aided by six converted free throws by Jackson that deadlocked the contest at 44 just three minutes into the period.
That is when Saint Xavier went on its decisive run, scoring the next nine points before Harks scored a bucket to seemingly stop the bleeding. But the Cougars kept the pressure on defensively and continued to score, eventually going up 60-47 near the half's midway point.
The Lakers could never recover, as the Cougars shot 50 percent after halftime and finished the game outrebounding the conference's top team on the boards 41-26, including 17 offensive rebounds that allowed for 29 second-chance points for the hosts. The points-in-the-paint disadvantage was -20 for Roosevelt.
The Lakers welcome Holy Cross this Wednesday, Jan. 16 at the Lillian and Larry Goodman Center, with tip slated for 7:30 p.m.
