DOBBS FERRY, N.Y. – Depth has been a strength for the Roberts Wesleyan College men's basketball team all season long.
The Redhawks relied on the strength of their roster again on Friday, getting 28 points from their reserves while earning a gritty 79-75 win over Mercy College in an East Coast Conference game.
"It's a conference game on the road in a tough environment and they always seem to play us tough," Roberts coach Mark Saladzius said. "Give credit to our guys, they hung in there and we found our spots and came through with the win."
Senior guard Shane Fanning made 3 of his 5 3-point attempts to lead Roberts (4-4, 2-1) with 17 points. Amari Lee contributed 13 points, 4 assists and 3 steals and Kevon Wright added 10 points in 16 minutes.
Wright, Eimantas Gudkovas (eight points), Abou Gbane (five points), Maurice McKinney (three points) and Anastasios Zetos (two points) allowed Roberts to hold a 19-point advantage in bench scoring.
"Eimantas and Kevon gave us some great minutes and energy when we got in trouble in the first half," Saladzius said. "Then, when we needed them in the second half, they stepped up and were ready to go."
Rian Carter added nine points and seven rebounds and Fope Okuyiga pulled down 12 boards for the Redhawks, who built a 37-29 lead at the half and outscored Mercy 21-11 from the free-throw line in the game.
Mercy took a 46-45 lead with 13:14 to play, but Carter hit a 3-pointer to put Roberts up 48-46 and the Redhawks never trailed again.
The Redhawks return to action at 3 p.m. Sunday for an ECC game at Saint Thomas Aquinas College.