WHITING, Ind. – The Roosevelt men's basketball team nursed a slim lead for most of the late stages of its game at Calumet-St. Joseph on Saturday afternoon, but the Crimson Wave stayed close enough to set the stage for Marcus Moody's game-winning bucket with 14 seconds left in the Lakers' heartbreaking 67-66 loss at the Rittenmeyer Athletic Center.
Tyree York had a double-double of 13 points and 10 rebounds and nearly led the Lakers (15-10, 9-6 CCAC) to a walk-off win with a jumper that just missed at the horn.
Korey Ryan led Roosevelt with 15 points, while Kevin Priebe added 11.
Franqlin Gaston scored a game-high 29 points for the Crimson Wave (12-13, 5-10 CCAC).
Roosevelt had constructed a slim lead in the second half and maintained an advantage for much of the game's late stages thanks to clutch scoring.
But the hosts were within enough striking distance to put themselves in a position to finally go ahead with its final possession. Moody made the go-ahead basket with 14 seconds on the clock.
There was just enough time for York to try to replicate his recent penchant for late-game heroics, but his try just missed and regulation time expired for the tough last-second loss.
"We lost to a very underrated team, and Gaston was incredible tonight," said Roosevelt head coach Joe Griffin. "He hit back-breaking shots all night that prevented us from growing a large lead. Our physical effort was great, but we came up short.
"That game could've gone either way," Griffin said. "Our defense wasn't quite good enough."
The Lakers host 19th-ranked Cardinal Stritch at the Goodman Center this Wednesday, Feb. 11 at 7:30 p.m.
