Posted: Nov 05, 2023
Men's Basketball 1-1 This Weekend
The SMC Men's Basketball Team split their games in the inaugural Roadrunner Classic this weekend.
Friday night, the Roadrunners fell behind early to the Richard J. Daley Bulldogs, but tied the score at 30 near the end of the first half and took just a 5-point deficit into halftime. Out of the break, though, someone put a lid on the west Fieldhouse basket and SMC didn't score for the next 6:40 as Daley ran off 13 unanswered points.
The Roadrunners fought back, cutting the lead to just 4, at the end of the game, but couldn't get closer as a bunch of earlier missed free throws were sorely missed in the final total of 75-69. The home team was led by sophomore Mari Nichols with 16 points, and freshman Aries Hull got the first double-double of his college career with 14 points and 10 rebounds. Sophomore Mikel Forrest added 12 points off the bench. SMC committed 26 turnovers and shot just 25 of 47 from the free throw line (53%).
Saturday started out the same way as the Roadrunners again found themselves in an early 0-9 hole to the North Central Michigan Timberwolves at the 14:20 mark in the first half, but freshman RJ Davis, Jr. buried some contested 3s to help SMC score 12 unanswered points and make it a game. SMC eventually got up as much as 14 in the second half, but then missed a lot of close shots in the lane. North Central got hot from behind the arc and tied the score at 55. But the home team fought for some critical rebounds down the stretch and did enough from the charity stripe to pull out the win, 61-57.
Davis, Jr. led the Roadrunners with 20 points, going 4-7 from behind the arc, and Hull double-doubled again with 15 points and 11 rebounds. Forrest added 10 points and 7 rebounds off the bench, making some tough mid-range jumpers down the stretch.
The 1-1 Roadrunners will next face the visiting Bethel University JV Pilots in the 1st Source Bank Fieldhouse on Tuesday, November 7 at 7:30PM.