DAVENPORT, Iowa – Trailing by as many as 15 points late in the first half and 13 in the second stanza, the Roosevelt men's basketball team staged a furious rally during the middle of the final period and pulled away late to defeat host St. Ambrose, 59-52, at Lee Lohman Arena on Wednesday night.

Joshua Dillingham led all players with 16 points and 13 rebounds in 25 minutes off the bench for the Lakers (21-4, 12-3 CCAC), who won their ninth consecutive game.

Carson Hughes added 13 points, 10 of which came in the second half, and Adam Alexander scored 11.

John Kerr led the Fighting Bees (12-13, 6-9 CCAC) with 12 points.

Roosevelt overcame a difficult shooting night in which the Lakers connected at just under 30 percent from the floor for the game.

St. Ambrose was firing efficiently early, finishing the first half shooting 52 percent and building a double-digit lead against one of the CCAC's top teams.

The Lakers came out of the break rededicated to their usual stingy defense, and Roosevelt forced the Bees to shoot just 28 percent in the game's final 20 minutes while eliciting 10 SAU turnovers in the second half.

That combination, along with Dillingham and Hughes among the various Lakers providing key plays during Roosevelt's comeback, let the guests convert a 13-point deficit into an eventual three-point lead midway through the half. Roosevelt used a 20-4 burst to turn the tide.

The game stayed close from that point on, with the Lakers nursing a slim advantage for a majority of the remainder of the contest. Hughes and Ludwig iced the game at the foul line late, keeping the Bees at bay.

"We didn't travel well at all today and that's why they were 9-2 at home," Roosevelt head coach Joe Griffin said after the win. "Our leaders rallied our guys at halftime and we were a different team in second half. There were numerous weird metrics in the game worth noting like us winning the foul game and capitalizing from the line. We held them to seven offensive boards when they grabbed 23 at our place [on November 18].

"The most confusing stat was that Jake [Ludwig] had his worst statistical game of the year, but we really picked him up," Griffin said. "In our minds Jake is the Player of the Year in the CCAC, but everyone has an off game and this was his first off game this year. Nobody is more valuable to their team than Jake, and I'm so proud that we could win an ugly one for him on the road. Josh gave great energy with doubles.

"To win a game shooting 30 percent is a testament to our second-half defense."

The Lakers finished the month of January 8-0 in regular-season play. Roosevelt won all nine games it played during the month, including a road exhibition at Illinois Tech.

Roosevelt concludes a four-game road swing at Olivet Nazarene in Bourbonnais this Saturday afternoon at 3 p.m.

Carson Hughes played a big second-half role in Roosevelt's win at St. Ambrose. (Photo: Justin Dela Cruz)