LYNCHBURG, VA--The Roanoke College men's basketball team picked up its first road win since December 7th with a 66-54 win over Lynchburg College in Lynchburg, VA on Saturday afternoon. The Maroons, who had lost their last five on the road, improve to 12-9 overall and 6-8 in the Old Dominion Athletic Conference. The Hornets, who have lost 18 of the last 20 meetings with the Maroons, fall to 3-18 overall and 3-11 in the ODAC.
Roanoke senior
Jared Butler opened Saturday's scoring with a three-pointer 28 seconds in. Lynchburg quickly tied the score on a three of their own, Roanoke regained the lead at 4-3 on a
Curtis Peery free throw, and Lynchburg took its only lead of the game moments later on a Matt Sweeney jumper. With 15:36 showing on the clock, Roanoke sophomore
Keith Carter hit a basket to give the Maroons a 6-5 lead, a lead it would never relinquish.
Ahead 13-8 with 11:54 left in the first, the Maroon defense held the Hornets without a point for a six-minute stretch, allowing the visitors to jump out to an 11-point lead, 19-8. The Hornets, however, found their offense down the stretch, going on a 10-3 run of their own over the final 5:03 of the half to make the score 22-18 at the break, Roanoke's way.
The two teams again traded three-pointers to open the second half, Roanoke's coming from senior
Jamiel Allen, his only points of the game. After Lynchburg countered, Roanoke used a 6-0 run, on baskets from Butler, Peery, and
Tee Jackson to get the lead back to double-digits. Roanoke's lead would get out to as many as 13 points twice, the second coming with 4:12 left on a
Josh LaPorte free throw.
Sparked by two three-pointers, the Hornets made things interesting, getting to within six points three times, the final time coming with 1:59 left.
Ben Shrader canned a three-pointer from the corner to give the Maroons a 60-51 lead with 1:41 left and the Maroons scored four of their final six points from the line to seal the win.
Roanoke, which shot just 31 percent in the first half but 53.8 percent in the second, got a game-high 20 points from Butler.
Ben Shrader came off the bench to record 15 points, his 13th double-digit effort of the season.
The Maroons are back in action on Monday evening in a showdown with rival Hampden-Sydney College. The game in Hampden-Sydney, VA begins at 7:00pm. Roanoke won the first meeting of the two teams, 72-63, in Salem in January.
Roanoke vs. Lynchburg Box Score
