CHICAGO – Fourth-ranked Olivet Nazarene used a burst in the middle of the first half to break open a five-point game against the Roosevelt men's basketball, and the Lakers couldn't rally back in an 89-65 loss to the Tigers at the Goodman Center on Saturday.

Josh Redic scored a team-high 14 points, connecting on four three-point shots, while Quin Riggins added 12 points and Brian Kern tallied 10 for the Lakers (7-21, 7-13 CCAC).

Nic Reed scored a game-high 24 points while Alex Gross had a double-double of 14 points and 13 rebounds for the league-leading Tigers (26-2, 18-2 CCAC), who shot 57 percent in the first half and exceeded that pace with a 63-percent clip after halftime for a 33-for-55 (60 percent) shooting day from the floor.

The Lakers hung tough against one of the nation's top-five teams early, engaging in a close game midway through the first.

That's when Olivet broke open a 15-10 game with a 14-3 run that pushed the Tigers' lead to 16, and ONU would go up 26 before Roosevelt cut the deficit down to 17 by the break.

A second-half rally never materialized for the host Lakers as the Tigers' red-hot interior shooting kept the ONU advantage until the final buzzer, but Roosevelt showed heart and never relented in its efforts despite the guests' great shooting clip.

"They really took it to us in the first half and we were too quiet and too passive and not locked in," said Roosevelt head coach Joe Griffin. "We had some good moments in the second half, which was much more competitive, but we had no answer for Reed and Gross.

"We are excited for senior night."

Roosevelt hosts St. Ambrose this Wednesday, Feb. 19 at the Goodman Center starting at 7:30 p.m. Wednesday is the home finale and Senior Day for the Lakers, as RU honors its senior class prior to the game.