ROCHESTER, N.Y. – The Roberts Wesleyan University men's basketball team opened the second half with a 12-2 run to build an 11-point lead and withstood a late charge to earn a 93-88 non-conference victory over Felician on Sunday afternoon in the Voller Athletic Center.
Jermaine Taggart II scored 16 of his career-high 18 points in the first half and Kevin Constant scored 14 of his 16 in the second half for the Redhawks (4-6), who enter winter break on a two-game winning streak.
Marlon Pratt Jr. finished with 15 points and five assists and Malik Brooks scored 13 points for Roberts. Jean Aristil and Ryan Garwood both scored nine points.
Roberts, which trailed by as many as seven in the first half, rallied to lead 49-48 at the break. Felician converted a pair of free throws to start the second half before the Redhawks rattled off 12 straight points. Aristil scored six points in the spurt and Constant added four. All nine of Aristil's points came in the opening 4:34 of the second half.
Roberts extended its lead to 16 points with 12:34 left before, but Felician trimmed the lead to just three points with 47 seconds left.The had a chance to tie late but could not convert. Pratt made two free throws with three seconds left to seal the victory.
Brooks, who added four assists, scored five points in the final 1:35, including a key three with 1:02 left. Taggart led the Redhawks with six rebounds.
The Redhawks are off until Friday, Jan. 12 when they will host Mercy University in an East Coast Conference game at 8 p.m.