CHICAGO – Hamahrie Bowers soared through the air with the ball in his grasp and as he slammed the ball through the rim, the excitement of the moment was at its peak.
A season of struggle and missed opportunities was the furthest thing from Bowers' mind as he went in for a dunk with 43 seconds left Thursday night against Parkside. The flush and the accompanying energy from the crowd radiated with the excitement of the upcoming win, now not in doubt as the Roosevelt lead stretched to 14.
Bowers played a large role in the Lakers picking up their third win of the season – and the first this year at the Goodman Center – with an 80-70 triumph that didn't feel that close. The junior finished with 19 points and 18 rebounds to go along with three steals as he dominated at both ends of the floor.
Roosevelt (3-17, 2-11 GLIAC) led by as many as 21 in the second half of the Great Lakes Intercollegiate Athletic Conference matchup and stayed in control for nearly the entire game. The Lakers were in the lead for nearly 38 minutes Thursday evening on the back of its ferocious defense and commitment to rebounding. The Lakers limited Parkside to 26.5 percent shooting in the first half to take a nine-point lead into halftime. Much of the advantage came from 3-point range as Roosevelt made nine triples in the first half while holding Parkside to 1 of 15 from long range.
By the first media timeout of the game, every member of the Lakers starting lineup made a 3-pointer as Roosevelt opened the game a perfect 5 for 5. Although Roosevelt obviously couldn't keep up that pace for 40 minutes, it continued to move the ball and find open looks to help build out the lead. Davon Smith-Johnson made three 3-pointers in the first half and Mason Kleinsmith came off the bench to knock down one as well.
Once the Lakers emerged from the locker room after halftime, though, the offense became an unofficial two-horse show. Bowers scored 13 of his 19 points in the second half, attacking the rim with an almost reckless abandon. He made all five of his 2-point shots and added shooting 3 of 4 from the foul line as well.
Mikey West dropped 14 points in the second half, sinking four 3-pointers after halftime at critical times. After the Rangers pulled to within 10 midway through the second half, West hit back-to-back triples to extend the lead back to 16. He also added three of his team-high seven assists in the second half and finished with eight total rebounds to near a historic triple-double.
Smith-Johnson and Dante Sawyer both finished with 13 points and three assists each as Roosevelt had a season-best 18 helpers in the win. The Lakers also tied their season high with 37 total rebounds, losing the rebounding battled by five or fewer for just the fourth time this season.
UP NEXT: Roosevelt will receive a rare Saturday off from competition before returning to the court Monday at home against Ferris State at 7:30 p.m.
