CHICAGO – Freshman Korey Ryan scored a team-high 14 points and junior Joe Harks moved closer to becoming the first player in modern Roosevelt men's basketball history to score 1,000 career points, but a late run by visiting Calumet College of St. Joseph combined with a Laker cold spell in the final three minutes doomed the hosts in a 72-61 loss inside the Lillian and Larry Goodman Center on Saturday.
Roosevelt fell to 13-12 overall and 5-10 in CCAC play, while the Crimson Wave moved to 14-11 and 6-9 in league action.
Ryan made three three-pointers and Harks tallied 13 before leaving the game early in the second half with a head injury, leaving him just three points shy of 1,000 for his collegiate career.
Four players tallied double-digit points for CCSJ, led by Brian Brilmyer's game-high 18 and a 16-point, 10-rebound showing from Franqlin Gatson.
Against a normally stout Laker field-goal defense that is still missing healing frontcourt stalwart Jeremiah Jackson, the Crimson Wave shot 53 percent for the game and closed out the game with a 63 percent second-half clip.
Meanwhile the Lakers were having a tough time putting the ball in the basket. After rebounding from a slow start to finish 12-for-29 in the first half, Roosevelt made just six of 25 attempts from the floor in the second stanza.
CCSJ jumped out to a 13-point first-half lead, an advantage ignited by Chris Diehl's nine quick points and seven early from Brilmyer.
Roosevelt roared back before the end of the first, outscoring the Crimson Wave 19-6 to take a one-point lead into the break. That run was capped by four consecutive three-pointers, as Tyree York and Jason Sotira connected from downtown before Ryan hit back-to-back treys.
The offensive mojo couldn't continue for the Lakers after intermission, as Diehl made a three to open the second, and after Kevin Priebe tied the game with a three of his own just past the 17-minute mark, CCSJ responded with a 9-3 run to go up eight.
Even with offensive struggles, the Lakers would not go away. While Calumet held a single-digit lead for most of the second half, Roosevelt would eventually get within one on a pair of late occasions. But with the Crimson Wave nursing a 62-61 lead with a little under three minutes remaining, Gatson made a big three that started a CCSJ run of 10 unanswered points to close the game.
The Lakers went cold from the floor in those final minutes, missing their final five shots as CCSJ tacked on points at the charity stripe with Roosevelt forced to foul.
"It was definitely closer than the 11-point final score conveyed," said Roosevelt head coach Joe Griffin. "We were right there at two possessions for most of the game. I think their big 13-point lead was big for them because we fought so hard to take the lead back like we usually do when we get down. We wanted this one and we had two of our better practices on Thursday and Friday, but we were unable to make the plays to win. We got a lot of open shots, especially threes, that we hit in the first half, but in the second half we were ice cold.
"Their size and length was problematic, as it always is, but that is no excuse," Griffin continued. "I think we missed a few cutouts in there that led to second chances for them. They are better than their record. They have length, athleticism, and versatile shot-makers. They are an underrated team.
Griffin hopes to use the final two weeks of regular-season play to strengthen his team's positioning in the CCAC tournament and knows a variety of scenarios will have to play out.
"Hopefully we can keep ground on the fourth seed in the conference tournament, but unfortunately we are going to need some help and we have nobody to blame but ourselves for that."
Roosevelt faces top-ranked Cardinal Stritch this Wednesday, Feb. 12 in Milwaukee at 7:30 p.m.
