CHICAGO - The Roosevelt men's basketball team returns from a 10-day layoff from game action with a tough test at hand, as 18th-ranked Cornerstone visits the Lillian and Larry Goodman Center to face the Lakers on Monday, Dec. 30.
The matchup between the two 11-3 teams begins at 7 p.m.
Monday's game will be the third contest against a nationally-ranked foe in the last four outings for the Lakers, who are receiving votes in the latest NAIA Division II Top 25 poll while in the midst of a school-record start. It will also be the second contest in the last four games against a recent NAIA Division II National Championship program, with the Dec. 14 game against defending national champion Stritch preceding Monday's affair against the 2011 national champion Golden Eagles and two-time national championship-winning head coach Kim Elders.
This is the fastest Roosevelt has ever achieved 11 wins, and the Green and White will seek to keep that program-best beginning to a season going against a Golden Eagles squad that won seven in a row prior to a road loss on Dec. 21 to NCAA Division II Ferris State.
The contest will be a good litmus test before the Lakers enter a rigorous remaining Chicagoland Collegiate Athletic Conference slate that begins on Jan. 8 against No. 8 Robert Morris in a big North Division battle between the Congress Parkway neighbors.
Junior guard Joe Harks continues to pace the Lakers offensively, ranking seventh in the CCAC with 15.9 ppg. The Lakers feature five players averaging in double digits, with Kevin Priebe (13.9 ppg), Jeremiah Jackson (13.4 ppg), Tyree York (12.9 ppg) and Korey Ryan (10.4 ppg) fueling Roosevelt's offensive fire.
York is also one of the nation's leading assist men, averaging a CCAC-best 6.4 apg to rank sixth in the country.
Jackson is averaging 9.5 rebounds per contest, the second-best mark in the conference and good for 13th in NAIA Division II.
Roosevelt ranks 12th nationally in field goal defense, allowing opponents to shoot 40.1 percent per game. Cornerstone is not far behind, ranking 17th by allowing just 40.8 percent shooting to set up a strong defensive battle on Monday.
Tickets to Monday's game are just $5 for the general public, while Roosevelt students, faculty and staff are admitted free with a valid RU ID. Columbia College students, faculty and staff and University Center residents are also admitted free with valid Columbia or UC ID cards.
