MIDLAND, Mich. – Roosevelt clawed back in the second half but could not fully bridge the gap in a 92-82 loss on Saturday in Northwood in Michigan.
Four players finished in double figures for the Lakers (0-4) as they battled until the very end against the Timberwolves. Northwood led by as many as 14 early in the second half, but the deficit shrunk to single digits by the middle of the half. A pair of free throws from Dante Sawyer with just under six minutes left brought the gap down to 74-70, and the pressure began to mount.
Jalen Windham hit a 3-pointer with five minutes left to make it a three-point game, which proved to be the closest the Lakers would get. Windham hit another triple with 3:41 left to make it 81-76 after five quick points from Northwood and hit a pair of free throws with 62 seconds left to shrink the deficit to four. Windham finished with 14 of his 25 points coming in the second half to lead Roosevelt.
Davon Smith-Johnson also had a big second half for the Lakers with 14 points and five boards while playing every second of the half. He made all six of his shots from the field, including a 3-pointer, and also added a free throw to cap off a three-point play. The junior finished with 16 points and seven boards to tie with Mo Sall for the team lead in rebounds.
Kaleim Taylor got the Lakers going in the first half by being aggressive and finding his way to the free throw line. He sank 7 of 8 from the stripe in the first half as he led Roosevelt with 12 points at the intermission. The Lakers and Timberwolves were trading the lead often in the first 13 minutes before Northwood went on a 7-0 run to take a multi-possession lead. The Roosevelt deficit would hit 11 at halftime.
Roosevelt made two-thirds of its shots in the second half, shooting 16 of 24 from the field. Yet the Lakers could never get the stop they needed to fully complete their comeback attempts. Dante Sawyer scored 10 of his 18 points after halftime and also led the Lakers with four steals in the game. Taylor finished with 17, including 10 of 12 on free throws, but Northwood made 25 of 28 from the line in the game to stay ahead of the Lakers.
UP NEXT: Roosevelt returns to the Goodman Center on Thursday to kick off Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference play against No. 12 Michigan Tech. It is a Blackout at the Goodman Center, so fans are encouraged to wear black when the Lakers take on the Huskies in the GLIAC-opening doubleheader starting at 5:30 p.m. with the women's game.
