ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Roberts Wesleyan College men's basketball team used a quick start to send a strong message on Sunday afternoon.
The Redhawks forced 17 first-half turnovers and made 8 of their 18 3-point shot attempts to build an 18-point halftime lead while cruising to a 94-72 win over visiting D'Youville at the Voller Athletic Center.
Senior
Fope Okuyiga, who led the Redhawks (3-4, 1-1 ECC) with 18 points, punctuated the first half with a dunk and 3-point shot in the final minute.
"The biggest thing is that I just let the game come to me," said Okuyiga, who made 7 of 8 shots from the field and led Roberts with seven rebounds. "I trust my teammates. If they see me open for a dunk, they get me the ball for a dunk. If they see me open for a 3, they hit me for a 3."
Ja'Kair Sanchez and
Shane Fanning both added 15 points and
Rian Carter scored 10 for Roberts, which placed 12 players in the scoring column.
Amari Lee contributed six assists.
Roberts used its full-court, man-to-man pressure defense to force D'Youville into mistakes that led to easy points for the Redhawks.
"Even if we have a big lead, coach stays consistent and wants us to stick to our principles and play good team defense," Okuyiga said.
Sanchez and Fanning, who entered the game ranked first in the ECC in 3-point shooting percentage at 59.1, both connected on 3 of 5 attempts from long-range. Freshman
Maurice McKinney buried three of his six 3-point attempts.
"It's fun," said Fanning, who added five rebounds and  four assists. "It fits into my game because you are always playing for the next thing – the next guy, the next pass, the next possession."
Roberts coach
Mark Saladzius said the Redhawks' system causes issues for opponents and creates opportunities for his players.
"We usually play at least 12 or 13 guys every game," Saladzius said. "I think that everyone gets a chance and everyone gets an opportunity. Guys know that they need to be ready because their number can be called at any time."
Next up for the Redhawks: A Friday night game at ECC rival Mercy. Tip-off time is 7 p.m.
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