HAMMOND, Ind. – Daniel Reed's last-second shot sent the game into overtime, but Roosevelt fell 94-87 to Purdue Northwest in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference contest in Hammond, Ind.

Reed was a perfect 4 for 4 on the evening and finished with 10 points, but he saved his biggest shot for when the team needed him the most. The senior guard unexpectedly
had the ball in his hands with the time winding down and Roosevelt trailing by two. Yet he calmly took a dribble and drilled a jumper from the free-throw line extended to tie the game.

It was a fitting end to regulation in a game that featured plenty of twists and turns for both sides. The two teams were tied eight times and the lead changed hands on 22 occasions as the Lakers and Pride battled. Roosevelt (6-16, 3-11 GLIAC) scored the first four points in the game for what proved to be its largest lead then made timely baskets to keep things close.

Fred Robinson IV bookended the first half with exciting plays to keep the Pride within striking distance at halftime. He began with a steal and fastbreak layup to give the Lakers the 2-0 lead. Then trailing by eight with 47 seconds left, Robinson hit a 3-pointer then stole the ball and sent an outlet pass to Enari Thomas for a dunk. The transfer scored 15 of his 18 points in the first half, making 6 of 9 from the floor in the opening 20 minutes.

The Lakers' stars came out to play in the second half, notably Forte Prater, who had a quiet first half. The senior from Mississippi scored 23 of his 25 points in the second half and overtime while shooting 9 of 13 from the floor in that span. It was Prater who scored the first four points of a 12-2 Roosevelt run that gave the Lakers their first lead in the second half. He added four more points to put the Lakers up three with six minutes left then made all three of his shots in the overtime.

Enari Thomas scored 22 points and notably hit the 3-pointer that gave Roosevelt a 75-73 lead with three minutes left, the Lakers' last lead of the game. Thomas also hit the jump shot with a minute left that cut the Purdue Northwest lead in half, setting the stage for Reed's heroics to push the game into overtime. Prater and Thomas combined to shoot 11 of 19 from the field in the second half as Roosevelt shot 55 percent from the floor as a team in the half.

Prater tied with Khalil Haywood and Griffin Yaklich for the team lead with seven rebounds each, but the Lakers made sure to push the pace. They scored 17 points on fastbreaks and turned 15 takeaways into 24 points.

UP NEXT: Roosevelt opens a four-game homestand Saturday at 3 p.m. against Saginaw Valley State. The game will be part of the GLIAC's annual Play4Kay weekend, and the Lakers will join the rest of the conference in raising money for cancer research in partnership with the Kay Yow Cancer Fund.

You can donate now at https://gliac.org/sports/2025/1/7/Play4Kay2025.aspx