CHICAGO – Grant Gibson led five Lakers in double figures with 18 points, pacing the Roosevelt men's basketball team to a 78-66 victory over visiting St. Francis (Ill.) inside the Goodman Center on Wednesday evening.
Jake Ludwig and Kevin Day tallied 14 points apiece, with Ludwig handing out seven assists, while Carson Hughes added 11 points and Adam Alexander just missed a second straight double-double with 10 points and nine rebounds for the Lakers (14-4, 5-3 CCAC).
Jordan Thornton scored a game-high 22 points while Iain Morison added 20 points and 12 rebounds for the Fighting Saints (6-10, 3-4 CCAC).
Roosevelt rode a hot start from three-point range (6-for-11 in the first half) and led from start to finish, weathering a USF comeback late in the opening period that cut the Lakers' lead to one.
The Lakers reconstructed a double-digit lead early in the second and didn't look back.
Gibson was a spark, shooting 4-for-6 from downtown. Hughes played a big role during the first-half run with a 3-for-4 display from beyond the arc.
Joshua Dillingham made his return from injury, playing 10 minutes off the bench in his first game action since Nov. 14.
"Anytime you beat St. Francis it's a great win because they are so talented and well-coached," Roosevelt head coach Joe Griffin said. "Our depth and contributions off the bench, one through 10, was the difference in this game. It was great to have Josh come back and give us a spark with four rebounds in 10 minutes after missing the last 13 games. Adam was solid again, almost getting another double-double, and our three-point shooting kept our lead intact.
"Ludwig did a great job of icing the game in the second half and breaking the press and finding shooters," Griffin continued. "Grant and Carson really opened things up with their threes. Holding them to 37 percent was great defense, except we let their two main scorers really hurt us in Morrison and Thornton. We have to do a better job on them next time."
The two sides meet again in Joliet on Jan. 27.
Roosevelt hits the road to tangle with Calumet St. Joseph in Whiting, Ind. on Saturday at 3 p.m.
