CHICAGO – Roosevelt's spirited defensive effort came up a tad short Saturday as the Lakers fell 59-52 to Lake Superior State in a Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup at the Goodman Center.
It was the best defensive performance from Roosevelt against a Division II opponent as it held Lake Superior State to just 31 percent shooting in the game. The visitors came to Chicago averaging more than 87 points per game on better than 47 percent shooting, but scored a season-low 59 points and had their worst shooting performance in three years.
The Lakers (1-12, 0-6 GLIAC) had a season-best six blocks and were highly competitive on the glass, with Lake Superior State holding a slim 40-36 edge. Hamahrie Bowers secured nine rebounds while Davon Smith-Johnson collected eight boards to help anchor Roosevelt against a physical Lake Superior State frontcourt.
Roosevelt started the second half on the wrong foot by allowing eight points in two minutes and forcing coach Dee Brown to call a timeout. Over the next eight minutes, the Lakers went on a 14-2 run to tie the game at 36 with roughly 10 minutes left in regulation. The Lakers got a variety of scoring during that stretch with Mikey West getting downhill for some layups, Kaleim Taylor drawing a foul on a fastbreak off a steal and some key 3-point shooting from the perimeter.
Roosevelt nearly had two turning points late in the game, both of which came after being fouled on a 3-point attempt. Bowers was fouled on his triple and he calmly sank all three free throws to cut the deficit down to six with 5:55 left. West made his 3-pointer with the contact then completed a four-point play with 95 seconds remaining to cut the Lake Superior State lead to six.
Bowers led the team with 18 points while West added 13 of his own and Taylor scored eight points, all in the second half. West also contributed four assists and five rebounds in a team-high 36 minutes of action.
UP NEXT: Roosevelt is back on the road Thursday in search of its first conference win as the Lakers head to Purdue Northwest at 7:30 p.m.
