For Immediate Release December 6, 1999
Team Effort Lifts RC Over Lynchburg, 75-55
Strickland Paces Maroons With 14, Leftwich Grabs Career-high 14 Boards
Roanoke vs Lynchburg Box Score
SALEM, VA--The Roanoke College men’s basketball team got a well balanced scoring attack on Monday night in a 75-55 Old Dominion Athletic Conference victory over the Lynchburg College Hornets in Salem, VA. Roanoke improves to 6-1 on the season and 3-0 in ODAC play, while the Hornets see their record fall to 2-5, 0-3 in conference competition. The win was the sixth consecutive for the Maroons over the Hornets and the 98th all-time, the most victories for the Maroons against any team they have ever played. Jason Strickland (Charlottesville, VA/Covenant) was the leading scorer for the Maroons again, scoring 14 points in the win. This was the sixth time in seven games this season that Strickland has been RC’s top scorer. However, the Maroons also got 13 markers from Brad Dunleavy (Roanoke, VA/William Fleming), nine from Alex Phillips (Roanoke, VA/Cave Spring) and eight apiece from Colby Leftwich (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry) and Ben Halterman (Fort Defiance, VA/Fort Defiance). Leftwich also added a career and game-best 14 rebounds for RC, which held a 42-36 advantage on the boards.
The Maroons led by just nine points at the break, 40-31, but turned up the defensive pressure in the second half forcing LC to shoot just 26.7 percent in the half. After two Strickland free throws opened the RC lead to 11 in the early portion of the second half, the Hornets were able to cut the lead back to nine, but RC held the Hornets without a field goal for nearly four minutes, pushing the lead up to 18 points. The two teams traded baskets for the remaining 14 minutes of the contest, with RC taking the 20-point win.
The win was essentially a wire-to-wire victory for the Maroons. Strickland opened the game with a jumper, but just seconds later Lynchburg’s Dennis Brown (Lynch Station, VA/Altavista) tied the score at two with a layup of his own. After Brown’s basket, Roanoke regained the lead, and never saw it disappear.
Chris Whelan (Gerat Falls, VA/Herndon) led all scorers in the contest, dropping in 18 points for the Lynchburg effort, while Brown added 10 points. The Hornets hurt themselves at the free throw line, going 13-for-24, just 54.2 percent.
The Maroons return to action on Wednesday night in Ashland, VA as they take on the Yellow Jackets of Randolph-Macon College. Game time in Ashland is scheduled for 7:00 pm.