McCANDLESS, Pa. - La Roche men's basketball outscored the visiting Medaille Maverick by twelve points in the second half to win their 12th conference game of the season by a final score of 91-80. As of late, the Redhawks have proven their resiliency and unwillingness to give up, winning five of their last seven games, including today, after trailing at the half. In Saturday afternoon's contest LRU shot 40% (15-38) from the field in the first half and 56% (20-36) in the second half. The story on the defensive front is a similar one. La Roche allowed Medaille to shot 53% (19-36) from the floor in the first half but held the Mavericks to just 33% (13-40) in the second.
Kennedy Smith scored a team-high 24 points while shooting a very efficient 10 of 15 (67%) from the floor. Smith added eight rebounds (tied for team-high), five assists (team-high) and one steal. Saturday's win is the most points Smith has scored in eight games and his seventh twenty-point game this season.
The Redhawks shot well as a unit from three, knocking down a season-high 15 triples on 36 attempts (42%). In their last four games, the Redhawks have shot 38% (50-133) from beyond the arc, attempting at least 30 treys in all four contests. In their first 14 games of the season, La Roche never attempted more than 29 three-pointers.
Now 12-1 in conference play this season, LRU is a full game ahead of Pitt Greensburg (11-2) in the AMCC standings.
Final: La Roche: 91, Medaille: 80,
Records: La Roche (12-6, AMCC: 12-1), Medaille (8-10, AMCC: 6-7)
How it Happened
Medaille started out the contest shooting lights out. The Mavericks made their first four shots and the Redhawks missed their first four. Medaille opened the first two and half minutes on a 10-0 run before Coach Carmichael called a timeout. La Roche finally got on the scoreboard three minutes into the game but still trailed Medaille, 16-5, with 16:00 to play in the first.
Then, La Roche erupted for an 11-0 run to take their first lead of the game. The conference foes would exchange the lead four more times over the next four minutes, La Roche leading by a slim one-point margin, 26-25 after Jioni Smith nailed his first 3-PT of the season. Over the next nine minutes, the Redhawks retained their marginal advantage, but Medaille would score a late basket to head into halftime ahead, 44-43.
The Redhawks opened up the second half on a 17-5 run and never looked back. The Mavericks made it a six point game midway through the second, but that's as close as they got. La Roche would go up by as many as 17 points late in the second, eventually winning 91-80. After playing three straight games decided by less than three points, the Redhawks have cruised to consecutive double-digit victories.
Inside the Box Score
Tyler Frederick nearly finished with a double-double, posting 14 points (12 in the second half) and eight rebounds. Frederick shot just 27% (4-15) from the field in the contest. Three of Tyler's four field goals were 3-PT, tying his season high.
Darius Lawrence extended his double-digit scoring streak to seven games finishing with 13 points while shooting an effective 5 of 7 (71%) from the floor and 3 of 5 (60%) from three-point range. Lawrence added four assists, four steals and two rebounds to the stat sheet.
Austin Hannes provided 11 points, four rebounds and four assists, knocking down 2 of 4 (50%) triples.
Jioni Smith scored 11 points off the bench in 23 minutes of action, shooting 5 of 8 (63%) from the floor, his second highest scoring game this season. Smith added a rebound, an assist and a block.
Luke McDonough recorded a season-high four blocks and also contributed nine points and seven boards.
Desmond Ross contributed six points, six rebounds and this nasty step-back 3-PT.
La Roche committed only eight turnovers, tied for their season-low. LRU out-scored Medaille 15-5 in points off turnovers.
LRU dished out 18 assists as a team. The Redhawks have recorded at least 15 assists in each of their last four games.
Three Mavericks scored 22 or more points, accounting for 89% of Medaille's total offense.
NEXT UP: La Roche completes their two game home stand next Wednesday, January 29th when they host Mt. Aloysius. Tip-off is set for 6:00 p.m.
