Strong finish by Fayette not enough to down Tigers

November 16, 2013

SALEM, WV – Down by 38 at one point in the second half, the Roaring Lions played the game in its entirety, losing to the Fighting Tigers of Salem International University (NCAA DII) 101-87 in another non-conference road game.  "We fought to the bitter end, and we left the T. Edward Davis Gymnasium with our heads held high," commented Roaring Lion Coach Mark John.

The game's scoring opened quickly, as Salem's fast breaking offense compiled 62 first half points.  The Tigers opened up the first five minutes of the game with an 18 – 3 run, putting the Roaring Lions in a game of catch-up from its onset. 

The second half opened with the Roaring Lions unable again to control the first five minutes, as Salem took a marginal lead before the first media time-out at just under 15 minutes to play.  "We set goals at each time-out, and worked to attain them," said sophomore point guard C.J. Gaddis (Brownsville, Pa).  At the seven-minute mark, the Tigers were sitting at 95 points, and more than 30 ahead of the Roaring Lions.  As Fayette fought their way back into the game possession by possession, they finished the game with a 24-6 run, giving the Lions some positives on which they can focus.  "We got into passing lanes, we finished our takes to the hoop, we boxed out, and we ran offenses," boasted John after the game. 

Pacing the Roaring Lions with points was sophomore Luke Williams (Maui, Hawaii), who finished with 22 and a perfect 11-11 from the free throw line in the second half.  Following Williams was freshman point guard Dominick Jackson (Minneapolis, Minn.) with 19 points, going 5 for 5 from the charity strip Pulling down rebounding honors for the Lions was junior forward Jacob Bronder (Pittsburgh, Pa), who finished with eight boards and 14 points.  Junior guard Darius Mack (Washington, D.C.) tallied four assists for the Lions.  Defensively, the Roaring Lions' junior guard Derek Jones (Brownsville, Pa) collected two steals, one shy of his nation-leading average).

The Roaring Lions are back in action Monday, November 18, when they travel to Latrobe, PA to take on the Bearcats of St. Vincent College at the Carey Center.  Tip-off is slated for 7:00 PM and will be broadcast live from www.stvincent.edu.