2008 Woodie Awards
Men's basketball nets first win of season in Gary Miller Classic, tops Roberts Wesleyan
By Phil Swartzlander
Rocket Assistant Sports Editor
Issue date: 11/30/07 Section: Sports
|
But poor shooting from the foul line led the men's basketball team to a 1-2 record, with its only success coming in an 84-79 win over Roberts Wesleyan last Saturday.
The win over Roberts Wesleyan gave the Rock a third-place finish in the Gary Miller Classic hosted by Gannon University.
In the game, both SRU and Roberts Wesleyan used several stretches to increase their leads.
The Rock put together a 17-2 run in the first half to propel itself to a 29-15 lead. Roberts Wesleyan came roaring back with a 21-7 run of its own to tie the game just before halftime.
The Rock took the lead just before the half, however, and never looked back.
They used two stretches of nine unanswered points in the second half to keep the Raiders at bay.
"It was important for us to at least come away from the tournament with one win. We wanted to at least go 1-1 on the weekend, which we did," Palmer said.
Darnell Johnson led the way for the Rock, scoring 25 points while adding four rebounds and four assists.
Jamar Scales, the team's leading scorer during the '06-'07 campaign, added 19 points while Ken Ottrix scored 13 off the bench.
The Rock came into the game with just nine healthy players, as several have been sidelined by early-season injuries.
Freshman Itay Levi has a bulging disk in his back and was only recently cleared to play.
Redshirt freshman Jade Burka broke his nose early in the first half against Roberts Wesleyan and junior Matt Schafer has a foot injury.
"We have been getting banged up. We haven't been full-power since the first exhibition versus St. Bonaventure," Palmer said.
Levi should return to the lineup by the time conference play starts, Palmer said.
Be the first to comment on this story