CHICAGO – Roosevelt went on a 20-0 run in the first half then rallied late to defeat Maryville 75-70 in the season opener on Monday at the Goodman Center.
Deante Luster sparked the massive spurt with three consecutive 3-pointers that helped turn an 8-0 deficit into a 20-8 lead. Luster scored 16 points while making six of his eight shots, including 4 of 5 from behind the arc. He also tied for the team lead with seven rebounds.
During the nearly eight-minute run, Roosevelt (1-0) made 6 of 15 from the floor, including 5 of 9 from long range, while holding Maryville to 0 for 13 shooting. Zander Woodruff also contributed six of his team-high 22 points during the run, including the 3-pointer right after a Roosevelt timeout that began the stretch.
Maryville was able to hang around and cut the deficit to four at halftime despite 11 points from Woodruff. The Lakers were unable to put away the Saints in the second half, and eventually Maryville was able to take a six-point lead with a little more than four minutes left in regulation.
However, KJ Fauske answered with a 3-pointer then Marcus Pigram added a pair of free throws and Woodruff hit his fourth triple of the game to give Roosevelt the lead for good. Pigram and Jonathan Ogunfuye both added 11 points for the Lakers while Fauske's make was his only points of the night until a pair of late free throws to ice the game.
Trevor Smith returned to Roosevelt's rotation after missing three weeks of practice due to injury, and didn't look like he missed a beat. The freshman grabbed seven rebounds in 17 minutes of action and made one of his two shot attempts.
Mason Kleinsmith led the Lakers with five assists as Roosevelt had 17 helpers as a team, a total it surpassed just once last season. Overall, the Lakers shot almost 56 percent from the floor in the second half to finish the game above 44 percent. Meanwhile, Roosevelt held Maryville to just 5 of 21 from behind the arc and 35 percent overall from the field.
UP NEXT: Roosevelt heads to Upper Iowa for a pair of weekend contests against GLVC opponents. The Lakers face Illinois Springfield on Friday at 5 p.m. then turn around and play the hosts on Saturday at 7:30 p.m.
