Roosevelt Gets Past Shorthanded Men’s Basketball Squad

CHICACO, Ill. — Playing without key players to begin the season, first year head coach Craig Covington led his shorthanded squad into battle at Roosevelt University Saturday (Nov. 2) in Chicago. Down 36-27 at the break, the Mustangs went toe-to-toe with the host Lakers in the second to fall, 78-67.

Despite being short three key players, some until the semester break, the Mustangs put together a well-executed gameplan that led to only nine turnovers in the opening game of the 2013-14 campaign. The low turnover total would not be enough to overcome the Roosevelt’s 28-9 advantage at the free throw line as the Lakers went on to win by 11. The 19-point difference at the charity stripe was due to the difference in team fouls (Marygrove 24, Roosevelt 11).

Despite the differential at the line, the Mustangs’ efficiency brought them to within six on two separate occasions in the second half before they ultimately fell short.

Freshman sharpshooter Jimmy Stewart (Punta Gorda, Fla./Charlotte) poured in a team-high 16 points behind a 4-of-8 performance from deep. Sophomore guard Diante Taylor (Battle Creek, Mich./Central), last year’s leading scorer, tallied 13 points to go along with four rebounds and 4 four assists.

The Mustangs will travel to NCAA Division I Eastern Michigan University for a 7:00 p.m. tip Monday (Nov. 4).

Follow men’s basketball on twitter: @MGroveMBBALL