SALEM, VA--Behind the MVP performance of senior Josh Foster (Roanoke, VA/Roanoke Valley Christian) the Roanoke College men's basketball team won the championship of its own Salem Bank & Trust Tip-Off tournament with a 64-63 win over Goucher College on Sunday evening in Salem, VA. The Maroons improve to 2-0 on the season, while the Gophers fall to 1-1. In Sunday's consolation game, the Ferrum College Panthers defeated Greensboro College, 92-89, in double-overtime.
Roanoke 64, Goucher 63The Maroons survived a last second shot from the Gophers to take the championship win, 64-63. The Maroons let the Gophers stay within distance with their struggles from the free throw line. The Maroons went 10-for-24 from the line in the game, a mark that included missing seven in a row over the final 4:25 of the game. The last two misses came with just 19 seconds left. With just about 10 seconds to play, the Gophers came out of a time out and had to take the ball the distance of the court. Pressure defense from the Maroons slowed GC's progress, forcing a Goucher sideline inbounds play with 1.1 seconds left on the clock. Goucher's Jonathan Garritt missed a desperation three at the buzzer, giving RC the win.
The Maroons had a two-point lead at the half, but Goucher took a lead with 18:45 to go and for the most part held onto it until there was just 6:32 to in the game when a Jared Butler (Springfield, MA/West Springfield) three gave Roanoke the lead for good. Both teams exchanged leads and fought through seven ties in the first half. Roanoke had the largest lead of the game of six in the first.
Roanoke sophomore Kevinn Hunter (Dale City, VA/Gar-Field) joined Foster on the All-Tournament team and finished Sunday's game with nine points and eight rebounds. For the game, the Maroons shot just 41.1 percent from the floor and 41.7 percent from the free throw line. Butler, a freshman, gave the Maroons a spark of the bench, finishing with 12 points, two assists, and a steal. Goucher's Thabo Letsebe and Pierre Jones were also named to the All-Tournament team. Jones finished with 13 points and six rebounds.
Ferrum 92, Greensboro 89 2otThe Panthers got their first win of the season with a 92-89 win over the Pride, in double-overtime, in the tournament's consolation game. The two squads were tied at 70 after regulation and 82 at the end of the first overtime, but the Panthers opened up overtime number-two with a 4-0 run and held on the rest of the way. All-Tournament selection Justin Harris scored four of Ferrum's points in the overtime period.
The game went to the second overtime only after Greensboro's All-Tournament pick Marcellus Morgan made a layup with just 11 seconds to play in the first extra period. Harris had given the Panthers a two-point lead with 19 seconds to go by hitting two of his six free throws in the game. Morgan finished the contest 24 points, five rebounds, and three steals.
Harris led all Panther scorers with 22 points, while Jamaal Eaton added 19 points and three steals.
