WOOSTER, Ohio – La Roche men's basketball opened play in the Al Van Wie/Wooster Rotary Classic on Friday night against the host Fighting Scots. It marked the third game of five the Redhawks went against a team ranked or receiving votes in the preseason poll and it was Wooster coming out on top, 84-58

The first half was a back-and-forth battle, as the teams traded the lead on multiple occasions, but it was the red and black holding a slight edge of 22-17 with 7:54 to go.

With 5:49 remaining, the Fighting Scots, trailing 27-23, rattled off an 8-0 run over the next 1:27 to open a 31-27 edge.

La Roche would respond with a 5-0 run to regain the lead at 32-31 with 2:58 on the clock, but would be held scoreless, allowing Wooster to score the final seven points of the half and the red and black trailed 38-32 at halftime.

Out of the break, the Fighting Scots came out with a flurry, scoring 14 of the first 20 points of the half over 7:20 to open a 52-38 edge.

From there, it was all Wooster closing out the night and the victory.

For the game, the Redhawks finished 21-for-62 (33.9%) from the floor and 5-for-30 (16.7%) from three. From the foul line, they capitalized on 11 of 12 attempts (91.7%).

On the other side, Wooster finished 24-for-52 (46.2%) from the field, 4-for-12 (33.3%) from deep and made it to the free-throw line 40 times, making 32 (80%).

The Redhawks had three players in double figures, led by Joe Starzynski and Michael Brooks with 11 each.

Starzynski added nine rebounds, two steals and a block, while Brooks added a pair of assists.

Isaiah Thomas contributed 10 points to go alongside six rebounds.

La Roche closes the Wooster Tournament in the Third Place Game, tomorrow, Saturday, Nov. 23 at 4 p.m. against Bluffton.