For Immediate Release November 28, 1999
Maroons Win SB&T Championship
RC Gets 22 Points From Strickland in 73-57 Win Over Mount Union
Roanoke vs Mount Union Box Score
SALEM, VA--Behind the power of a game-high 22 points from junior Jason Strickland (Charlotesville, VA/Covenant), the Roanoke College men’s basketball team won the championship of the 15th annual Salem Bank & Trust tournament with a 73-57 win over Mount Union College on Sunday afternoon in Salem, VA. With the win, the Maroons improve to 3-1 on the season. Strickland was named to the All-Tournament team, as was fellow Maroon Colby Leftwich (Roanoke, VA/Patrick Henry), who was named the Most Valuable Player of this weekend’s tournament. Roanoke took control of Sunday’s game in the first 16 minutes of the first half, as it jumped out to a 29-8 lead. Mount Union was able to shoot just 33.3 percent from the field in the half, contributing to the big Maroon lead. Strickland scored 13 of his game-high 22 points during Roanoke’s run to open the game. Mount Union’s Mike Tournoux hit a three-pointer with just five seconds left in the first half to cut the RC lead to 16 going into the locker-rooms.
The second half opened up much the same way as the first had, as the Maroons went on another scoring run, opening the margin of lead to as much as 24 points. The Raiders would not go away, however, as they slowly chipped away at the lead, cutting it to just eight points with 2:13 remaining. The MU surge was too little too late, as the Maroons converted their free throws down the stretch, making the final margin of victory 16 points. Roanoke shot 61.9 percent (13-for-21) from the floor in the second half, but turned the ball over 14 times, letting the Raiders make their run.
In addition to Strickland’s 22, Roanoke also got 14 from Brad Dunleavy (Roanoke, VA/William Fleming) and 10 from point guard Paris Butler (Springfield, VA/West Springfield). Leftwich, the tournament’s Most Valuable Player, added five points and a game-high seven rebounds to the mix for the Maroons. Strickland added five steals (as a team the Maroons had 11), just one short of his career-high of six, which he established earlier this season.
Garett Gaydosh had a team-high 11 points for the Purple Raiders, while Kyle Schlabach tossed in 10 markers. Schlabach was the Purple Raiders’ selection to the All-Tournament team. Mount Union returns to Alliance, OH with an overall record of 3-1.
In Sunday’s consolation game, Carroll Boomer scored 15 points to lead Savannah A&D to a 71-66 win over Ferrum College. Ferrum’s Robert Knotts was named to the All-Tournament team, while Marcus Ross was SCAD’s representation on the team.