JOLIET, Ill. – The shots did not fall for Roosevelt on Thursday as it fell 91-63 to Madonna in the first game of the St. Francis Fighting Saints New Year's Classic in Joliet.

The Lakers (10-5) shot just 37.7 percent from the field in their first game back from the holiday break while connecting on just seven of their 26 3-point attempts. Roosevelt trailed by just nine points at halftime thanks to a late spurt from Madonna. However, the Crusaders shot nearly 61 percent from the field in the second half and limited the Lakers to 36 percent shooting over the final 20 minutes.

Julio Montes II returned from illness to lead Roosevelt with 16 points and Shane Stevensen chipped in 15 points. Matt Myers rounded out the three Lakers in double figures with 11 points. Stevensen tied Ayo Ajiboye for the team lead with five rebounds each as Madonna won the battle on the glass 38-26.

The interior was an issue for the Lakers, who were outscored 48-20 in the paint by the Crusaders, but Madonna also punished Roosevelt's mistakes. The Crusaders turned the Lakers' 16 turnovers into 27 points while Roosevelt scored just 17 points off Madonna's 15 turnovers. In addition, Madonna kept Yuri Swinford in check as the graduate student finished with a season-low four points to go along with just four rebounds.

In typical Roosevelt fashion, the Lakers kept things competitive in the first half as the lead switched a handful of times in the opening 15 minutes. Lucas Jordan hit a critical 3-pointer with 1:38 left in the half to bring the Lakers within four, but a 7-2 spurt to end the half gave the Crusaders the nine-point halftime edge. The Crusaders scored the first seven points of the second half to force Roosevelt into a timeout, but the Lakers were unable to claw back to within single digits the rest of the way.

The Lakers are back in action Friday when they face No. 2 Thomas More at 1 p.m. in Joliet for the second game in the St. Francis Fighting Saints New Year's Classic.