CHICAGO – After falling behind by 16 to 22nd-ranked Calumet St. Joseph (Ind.) in the first half and trailing by 10 at the break, the Roosevelt men's basketball team responded in a big way during the second half and defeated the CCAC-leading Crimson Wave by a final of 79-68 inside the Goodman Center on Saturday afternoon.
Jake Ludwig scored 12 of his team-high 21 points in the second stanza while handing out eight assists and corralling a team-leading seven boards, while Bennett Fuzak connected five times on eight tries from beyond the arc en route to tallying 19 points and pulling down six rebounds for the Lakers (11-7, 5-3 CCAC).
Jake Asquini made four three-pointers and finished with 15 points, while Grant Gibson tacked on 11 points.
Freshman Matt Myers contributed 16 big minutes off the bench and scored nine points, going 3-for-3 from the field.
Joe Larry, the reigning CCAC Player of the Week, led all scorers with 26 points for the Crimson Wave (14-2, 6-2 CCAC), who came out of the gates firing on all cylinders and shot 62 percent (16-for-26) from the floor in the game's opening 20 minutes to build a double-digit advantage. The lightning-quick visitors also had 11 first-half fast break points as they sped up the contest early and often.
Larry led the early charge with 16 first-half points, while teammates Core'Von Lott and Randall Rushing added nine points apiece during that same span to seemingly get the Lakers on the ropes.
Roosevelt regrouped in the second half, coming out of intermission clamping down defensively and reversing their own offensive fortunes.
The Lakers held the nationally-ranked Crimson Wave to just 8-for-30 (27 percent) shooting in the second period, forcing eight CCSJ turnovers and allowing just 3-for-14 three-point shooting, while upping their own clip from the field from a 33 percent first-half showing to 59 percent (13-for-22) shooting in the final 20 minutes.
The Lakers scored the first nine points of the second half to get within one before the Crimson Wave brought its lead back to six.
From there it was a tooth-and-nail fight immersed in tension befitting a huge early-season conference bout as Roosevelt stunned the Top 25 guests by eventually claiming the lead for the first time since the game's opening minutes when Gibson scored while he was fouled for a lead-switching three-point play midway through the half.
As the game entered into its late stages, the contest was deadlocked 60-60 with 5:50 on the clock after a three made by Larry. Ludwig went to the line shortly after that and made two free throws to return the lead into the Lakers' possession, and less than a minute later Ludwig connected from downtown only to be followed by a Fuzak trey for a 68-62 lead.
With Roosevelt nursing a four-point lead and just over two minutes on the clock, Ludwig went to the rack and put up a tough shot that rolled in while he was fouled for another clutch three-point play.
The dagger came moments later when Fuzak found Asquini in the left corner for a three-point look he calmly sank to put Roosevelt up double digits with 90 ticks left.
Calumet St. Joseph could only get within eight late, as Roosevelt iced the decision at the foul line.
"Our guys really responded to the mediocre first half that we played by clamping down on D, finishing with rebounds, and sharing the ball for great shots," Roosevelt head coach Joe Griffin said after the comeback win. "Ludwig was the catalyst with 21 points, eight assists and seven rebounds for a great all- around game, and we hit some big shots late to hold them off. Larry is as good a scorer as we've seen lately but other than him, we did a good job of limiting their supporting cast.
"This was a big conference win and a tiebreaking win since we only have CCSJ once."
Saturday marked Roosevelt's third win over an NAIA Division II Top 25 team thus far this season.
The Lakers head east to South Bend, Indiana to face off with Holy Cross on Jan. 9.
Bennett Fuzak (above) had a strong game in victory over Calumet St. Joseph, as did rookie reserve Matt Myers (below). [Photos: Dan Lim]
