SALEM, VA--Key free throw shooting in the final 3:30 of play helped the Roanoke College men's basketball team defeat Rose-Hulman Institute of Technology, 65-63, in the championship game of the 18th Annual Salem Bank & Trust Tip-Off tournament in Salem, VA on Sunday afternoon. The Maroons improve to 2-0 on the season while the Engineers fall to 1-1. In the day's consolation game, Earlham handed Averett University a 101-84 loss. Roanoke will be back in action next Friday in the Inaugural Myrtle Beach Thanksgiving Classic in Myrtle Beach, SC. The Maroons will play Goucher (MD) College at 5:00pm at Myrtle Beach High School.
Roanoke 65, Rose-Hulman
The Maroons went 8-for-8 in the final 3:30 of the game to hold off the Engineers in the 65-63 victory. The Maroons led 51-43 with 7:37 to go, but let RHIT go on a 8-0 run to tie the ball game at 51 with 3:54 to play. Senior guard Bryan Fasnacht (Salem, VA/Glenvar) gave the Maroons the lead back, for good, starting the 8-for-8 streak with two makes with 3:30 to play. Roanoke's lone field goal in that time came off of the hands of sophomore Jared Butler (Springfield, VA/West Springfield), a layup that gave the Maroons a 63-60 lead with 23 seconds left. Tournament Most Valuable Player Kevinn Hunter (Dale City, VA/Gar-Field) then gave the Maroons the two free throws they need most, hitting two with seven ticks left.
After leading by as many as eight points in the first half, the Maroons went into the half tied with the Engineers at 32. Rose-Hulman took a brief lead with the first bucket of the second half, but Roanoke used a 9-0 run to regain the lead which they would hold until the Engineers tied it late.
Hunter finished the game with 13 points and 11 rebounds and was joined on the All-Tournament team by fellow Maroons Drew Crowder (Radford, VA/Radford) who ended the day with 13 points, six rebounds, and three steals. Butler finished the game with nine points, while Fasnacht led all Maroons with 14 points.
Munchie Muskeyvalley earned a spot on the All-Tournament team with a 20-point effort, 15 of those points coming off of three-point baskets. He also added three assists and a steal in 38 minutes of action. Jason Ludwig added 11 points, while All-Tournament selection Kareem Lee had six points, six rebounds, and three steals.
Earlham 101, Averett 84
Earlham College went 41-of-56 from the free throw line and scored 54 first half points in the 101-84 win over Averett University in the consolation game. Four Quakers players hit double-figures, including three who had over 20 points. All-Tournament pick Brandon Miller scored 21 points, grabbed nine rebound, and dished out six assists for the winning team. LaRon Henry led all scorers with 27 points in the win.
Averett was paced by Jarrod Harris' 17 points on 7-of-11 shooting from the field. Billy Gardner added 16 points and five rebounds, with Joey Barksdale finishing with 13 points, four rebounds, two steals, and seven assists. Barksdale was Averett's representative on the All-Tournament team.
