SALEM, VA--The Roanoke College and Trinity (TX) University men's basketball teams were both victorious on the opening day of the Salem Bank & Trust tournament, hosted by Roanoke, and will next meet at 3:00pm on Sunday for the championship. Roanoke defeated Moravian (PA) College, 89-72, in the nightcap, while the Tigers opened up the tournament with a 78-70 win over Clark (PA) University. Moravian and Clark will play in the consolation at 1:00pm on Sunday.
Robby Pridgen (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary) made a strong return to the RC lineup with a career-high 27 points to lead the Maroons to the win. Twelve of Pridgen's 27 points came from behind the three-point line (4-for-7). On the day, Pridgen was 9-for-13 from the field and added three assists, four rebounds, and two steals. Colby Leftwich (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) tallied 15 points and six rebounds for the Maroons, while fellow senior Ben Halterman (Fort Defiance, VA/Fort Defiance) chipped in 10 markers.
The Maroons held a slim 38-34 halftime lead, but held the Greyhounds to just 35 percent field goal shooting the second half and outscored their opponents from Pennsylvania, 51-38. After hitting on just 38.2 percent of their shots in the opening frame, the Maroons rebounded to shoot 57.6 percent in the second.
The Greyhounds led by two points (34-32) with 2:21 left in the first half, but did not score again in the frame and watched the Maroons drain two three-pointers to take the 38-34 intermission lead. The Maroons never trailed in the second half, and extended their lead to as many as 24 points.
