For Immediate Release January 5, 2000
Dunleavy Named MVP of DLG Classic
Maroons Get 79-76 Win Over Worcester State on Wednesday, RC Now 9-1
Roanoke vs Worcester State Box Score
SALEM, VA--On the day they moved up to the 17th spot in the latest Division III national rankings, the Roanoke College Maroons picked up a 79-76 men’s basketball win over the Worcester State College Lancers in the championship game of the seventh annual Domino’s Lewis-Gale Classic in Salem, VA. The Maroons are now 9-1 on the season after the win, and register their sixth all-time classic championship. Worcester State, which was among those receiving votes in the DIII poll, falls to 9-2 on the season. Roanoke junior guard Brad Dunleavy (Roanoke, VA/William Fleming) was named the Most Valuable Player of the tournament after posting 17 points on Wednesday, as well as dishing out five assists and recording five steals. The Roanoke native also grabbed five missed shots in the contest in helping the Maroons take the win. Fellow guard Paris Butler (Springfield, VA/West Springfield) matched Dunleavy’s 17 points in the contest, knocking down five three-pointers, one shy of tying the school record, which he already owns a piece of. Butler was RC’s other selection to the All-Tournament squad.
Two other Maroons, Jason Strickland (Charlottesville, VA/Covenant) and Colby Leftwich (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry), reached double-figures in the scoring column. The Maroons were fortunate to overcome 27 turnovers in the contest and a .333 field goal shooting percentage. The RC defense played a part in that, as it forced WSC into 29 giveaways.
Kevin Pettway led the charge for the Lancers, scoring a game-standard 19 points, while Louenco DaSilva added 17 points and Eddie Allen 13. Pettway and DaSilva were both named to the All-Tournament team. The Lancers were plagued by foul trouble for the entire game, watching a total of four players foul out.
After trailing by as many as 11 points in the second half, the Lancers made the game interesting down the stretch , as they took their first lead of the contest with just 3:25 left in the game. Demarr Langford, who dropped in the game winning shot in the first round against Chowan, scored a layup to put WSC up 71-70. The Maroons, however, responded with nine free throws down the stretch to regain the lead and eventually hold off the Lancers. The Maroons failed to make a field goal in the final seven minutes of the contest, with their final nine points coming from the charity stripe. In all, RC was 32-of-46 from the free throw line in the contest. For just the second time this season, the Maroons were outrebounded in a game, as the Lancers held a 47-44 advantage in that category.
Consolation Game - Chowan (NC) 63, Lehman (NY) 52
In the consolation game, the Chowan College Braves (3-8) held off a strong second half charge to defeat the Lehman College Lightning (4-5), 63-52. The Braves held a sizable 41-20 lead at the break, but did not score a point in the first six minutes of the second half, allowing the Lightning to claw to within nine points, 41-32.
Chowan withstood the Lehman comeback try, pushing the lead back up to as many as 16 points before taking the 11-point win. The Braves led from wire-to-wire, picking up their third win of the season. Chowan’s Anthony McGruder had an outstanding game, knocking down a tournament-high 24 points, and also grabbing a game-best 12 rebounds. The guard was Chowan’s selection to the All-Tournament team, while Lehman’s Dennis Kumnipa was Lehman representative on the team.
Kumnipa tossed in 17 points for the Lightning, who shot just 29.5 percent from the field in the game.
Lehman vs. Chowan Box Score