SALEM, VA-- The Roanoke men's basketball team captured the championship of its own Salem Bank & Trust Tip-Off tournament with an 85-63 win over Wesley College in Salem, VA on Sunday afternoon. The Maroons improve to 2-0 on the season with the win, which gave Roanoke its third consecutive SB&T tournament title. In the consolation game, Ferrum College improved to 1-1 with a 62-54 win over York (NY) College.
Tied at 18 with 6:22 remaining in the first half, Roanoke went on a 24-2 run to close out the half and grab a 42-20 intermission lead. The Maroons never looked back, holding a double-digit lead the rest of the way, a lead that extended to as much as 30 points.
For the second consecutive season, junior Robby Pridgen (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary's) was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player. After scoring 20 points on Saturday, Pridgen followed with 24 points in the win over Wesley, draining five three-pointers in the contest. He was 8-of-14 from the field, 5-for-8 from long range. Junior Josh Foster (Roanoke, VA/Roanoke Valley Christian) was also named to the All-Tournament team after scoring 11 points, grabbing six rebounds, blocking three shots, and recording four steals and three assists in Sunday's win.
The Maroon defense again shined, forcing 29 Wesley turnovers in the game and limiting the Wolverines to under 40 percent from the field. Jaimar Mansel (Akron, OH/St. Vincent-St. Mary's) led all Maroons in the game with five steals, helping the Maroons get 17 as a team. Junior Nathan Stewart (Christiansburg, VA/Auburn) scored a career-high 10 points in the win.
Wesley, which had just two free throws in the final 6:22 of the first half was led in the scoring column by Larry Bryant and Tynell Tingle who each had 14. Bryant and teammate Jawara Stephenson were both named to the All-Tournament team.
