UNIVERSITY PARK, Ill. – Playing without leading scorer Jake Ludwig due to injury, the Roosevelt men's basketball team received a balanced road effort from six different Lakers scoring in double figures to secure a 78-73 win at Governors State at the GSU Athletics & Recreation Center on Saturday afternoon.
Grant Gibson posted a team-leading 19 points and handed out six assists, while freshman guard Quin Riggins made five of six from the floor to tally a career-high 14 points for the Lakers (17-11, 11-7 CCAC).
Jake Asquini made three from long range to score 13, while Chandler Fuzak, Bennett Fuzak and Kyle Bumbalough tacked on 10 points apiece.
Roosevelt avenged a home loss earlier in the campaign to the defending CCAC champion Jaguars (14-14, 12-6 CCAC) and earned a pivotal late-season league win by virtue of a number of Roosevelt players stepping up in the absence of Ludwig, who averages 17.8 points per game to lead the Lakers and rank fourth in the CCAC.
The Lakers jumped out to a quick seven-point lead and held the advantage for the entirety of the first half, though Governors State made a late push behind 15 opening-period points from Shane Maple and cut its deficit down to one going into the break.
Roosevelt went up by double digits in the second half, going up by as many as 16 points and getting clutch baskets from a variety of Lakers to quell any push by the Jaguars.
Led by Robbie Brooks' 17 second-half points that pushed his game-high total to 23, Governors State eventually got within four of the Lakers with 68 ticks left in the game.
However, Riggins (five points in the last 41 seconds) and Gibson (two points, assist in that same span) were able to halt any further damage and put the game out of reach.
"We epitomized a true team tonight playing without our best playmaker by playing with great toughness and togetherness," Roosevelt head coach Joe Griffin said. "Six guys scored 10 points or more led by Kyle and Quin, who really did a solid job handling the pressure. We controlled the glass and made it hard for Maple in the second half after he torched us in the first.
"This is easily our biggest most gratifying win of the year so far."
Roosevelt hosts a Senior Night game this Wednesday, Feb. 13 against Cardinal Stritch at 7:30 p.m. The ceremony honoring six Roosevelt senior student-athletes will take place prior to tip-off.
