PITTSBURGH, Pa. – La Roche men's basketball trailed by as many as 15 in the first half against Baldwin Wallace, but despite overtaking the lead in the second half, fell short, falling to the Yellow Jackets 83-78.

The early stages of the first half was a back-and-forth battle as the score sat 12-12 in just the first 4:26 of play.

With 15:04 remaining, Baldwin Wallace began what would be a 20-5 run, behind a barrage of three-pointers to take a 32-17 lead with 10:13 remaining.

Still trailing 47-34 with 2:34 left in the opening half, the Redhawks would spark with an 11-2 run over that final stretch, capped off by a Bryce Epps three at the buzzer to trail just 49-45 at halftime.

Out of the break, the Yellow Jackets used the first 3:24 to reopen a nine point, 58-49 lead, but La Roche would counter.

Starting at 16:04 and lasting until 6:28 left, the Redhawks would use that near 10 minutes to outscore Baldwin Wallace 20-6 to take a 69-64 lead.

Despite still leading 73-69 with 5:02 remaining, the Yellow Jackets would have the big run late, a 9-0 run to reopen a 78-73 edge and held on to thwart the Redhawks.

For the game, La Roche finished the night going 30-for-72 (41.7%) from the floor and 8-for-29 (27.6%) from three. From the foul line, the Redhawks capitalized on 10 of 11 attempts (90.9%).

On the other side, Baldwin Wallace finished just 26-for-68 (38.2%) from the field, and 15-for-43 (34.9%) from deep, while going 16-for-21 (76.2%) from the foul line.

La Roche had four players in double figures, with Joe Starzynski and Isaiah Thomas both leading the way with 19 points. Starzynski added nine rebounds and three blocks, and while Thomas chipped in five rebounds and three assists.

Dawson Summers shined off the bench, shooting 6-for-10 from the floor for 12 points, while Epps scored 11 to go alongside six rebounds and five assists.

The Redhawks close out the 2023 portion of the season on Wednesday, Dec. 20 in their final non-conference matchup against Ohio Wesleyan. Opening tip is set for 7 p.m.