SALEM, VA-The Roanoke College men's basketball team defeated the Hawks of SUNY New Paltz, 82-65, to capture the championship of the 11th Annual V-Foundation Classic in Salem, VA on Thursday night. The Maroons, who have now won nine of the 11 all-time tournaments, improve to 7-3 on the season while the Hawks head back to the state of New York with a 3-4 overall mark. In the tournament's consolation game, Ferrum College beat St. Joseph's (ME) College, 72-57. This season's tournament also raised in excess of $3,500 dollars on a two-day raffle and silent auction. The overall 11-year total is now approaching $85,000 raised.
Roanoke 82, New Paltz 65
Tied at 48 with 10:42 remaining in the second half, Roanoke used an 11-1 run over the next three minutes to build a 10-point cushion and re-take command of the game. The Maroons, who allowed the lead to dip into single-digits just twice the rest of the way, pick up their seventh win of the year against just three losses.
The Maroons never trailed in Thursday contest, opening the game with 16 of the first 21 points and pushing their first half lead out to as many as 14 points. The Maroons had a chances to push their lead out further in the first half, but went just 12-for-21 from the free throw line. The Hawks, didn't fare much better from the line in the first half, making just six of 16 tries. After a pep-talk from head coach Page Moir at halftime, the Maroons made 13 of their 14 free throws in the second half.
Roanoke senior Jason Graffam was named the tournament's Most Valuable Player, thanks in large part to scoring eight points and grabbing two rebounds in the 11-1 second-half run that put the Maroons back in control of the game. Graffam finished the game with 10 points and eight rebounds. Drew Crowder led the Maroons with 18 points and also had eight rebounds, as did NyJuan Hall, who also added 10 points and was named to the All-Tournament team. Crowder hit all three of his three pointers in the game in Roanoke's 16-5 run to open play.
New Paltz's John Hauser and Steve Ott were also both All-Tournament selections, scoring six points apiece in Thursday night's game. Trailing by the six points at the break, the Hawks slowly cut into Roanoke's lead in the second half thanks in part to three-point shooting. The Hawks made two of their five threes in the game in the first six minutes of the second half. Tony Cannon, who finished with 11 points, hit one with 14:01 left to trim the RC lead to 46-45. Amseshem Foluke-Henderson led the Hawks with 18 points in the loss, getting six of those points at the free throw line.
Ferrum 72, St. Joseph's (ME) 57
A basket from Kevin Aigbe with 4:15 to go in the first half gave the Panthers a 18-16 lead and they would never rail again in the game, getting their sixth victory of the season. St. Joseph's briefly tied the score at 33 in the opening moments of the second half, but again Ferrum gained the lead, pushing it out to as many as 17 points, that late in the game.
Ferrum's Darrian Jones was an All-Tournament selection, finishing Thursday game with 20 points and three steals, while Leroy Gore scored 21 points for the Monks and was St. Joseph's selection to the squad. Gore also had six rebounds and two assists.
