SALEM, VA--Jason Strickland led three Roanoke College players in double figures, and the Maroons posted an 87-58 win over Lynchburg in the opening game of the 2001 Old Dominion Athletic Conference Men's Basketball Tournament.
The senior forward scored 23 points on 9-of-13 shooting and was joined in double-digits by Brad Dunleavy with 13 and Alex Phillips with 12. Dennis Brown was the only Lynchburg player in double figures, scoring a game-high 24 points.
With the score tied at 23-23 and just under eight minutes remaining in the first half, Roanoke (20-5) scored six in a row and stretched its lead to 10 points by the half. They knocked down 19-of-35 (54.3%) second half shots and held its largest lead of 29 when the final buzzer sounded. Strickland scored 14 of his 23 points in the second half, and hit a season best 86.4% (19-22) from the free throw line.
In addition to 12 points, Phillips grabbed a game-high 10 rebounds. Roanoke held a 41-35 advantage on the boards, and recorded 13 steals on 21 Lynchburg turnovers.
Roanoke advances to tomorrow's ODAC Semifinal contest, and will play the Bridgewater at 2 p.m. Lynchburg, who won three of its final four regular season games to qualify for the tournament, ends its season with a 4-21 record.
