On Friday night the Raiders made it two wins in a row in the American Mideast Conference with a 62-58 victory over host Notre Dame. Roberts led by as many as seven points in the first half but went into the locker room at the half trailing by two, 32-30.
The game was hotly contested throughout. The difference was
Jordan Heath. Heath scored 23 points, pulled down 9 rebounds, and blocked 4 shots.
Alif Bland had a strong defensive game limiting All AMC forward, Eric Dummermuth, to 17 points on 5 for 18 shooting. Bland also had 10 points and 5 assists. The Raiders were stingy on defense all night long limiting Notre Dame to 58 points and a 38% FG%, only 29% from behind the three point line. Notre Dame did not score in the last 2:11 of the contest.
Dan Foley put the Raiders ahead 60-58 on a three pointer from the left wing with just under two minutes to play followed by a short jumper in the paint by Heath to seal the victory with less than a minute to go.
Saturday's matinee at Mt Vernon Nazarene University was there for the Raiders to pick up their third straight conference win, but Roberts went away from their strength inside in overtime and missed all five three point shots they attempted. The Cougars finally defeated Roberts 81-76.
Once again,
Jordan Heath led the way with a very strong performance. Heath scored 26 points and had 12 rebounds.
Rashaad Stokelin had 18 points,
Alif Bland had 11 points and 7 blocked shots before fouling out with two seconds remaining in regulation play.
Dan Foley also contributed double digit points scoring 10 to go along with 11 rebounds.
Brandon Short led Mt Vernon Nazarene with 21 points. The Cougars are now 13-8 overall and 6-3 in the conference.
Roberts finds themselves on the outside of the AMC playoff picture sitting at 3-6 in the conference. With nine games remaining the Raiders have little room for error. They also must go 6-3 down the stretch to receive an opportunity to play in the NCCAA playoffs this season. Coach McCoy is well aware of the chore ahead but remains optimistic. “The talent is in the room. We have to stay the course, play efficiently, and continue to fight. We still firmly believe we will be playing in the post season.”
That chore continues this weekend at home with two scheduled games. On Friday night the Raiders will face the Wilberforce Bulldogs (OH) at 8:00. Roberts will get a chance to even the score with Mt Vernon Nazarene (OH) at the VAC at 4:00 on Saturday.
