ALLIANCE, Ohio – Mount Union's men's basketball team, ranked No. 11 in the nation beat La Roche (Pa.) in a non-conference matchup 81-63 on Monday night.
The Purple Raiders (14-2) had three players score in double figures, with sophomore
Christian Parker (Canton / GlenOak) leading the way with a game high 26 points. Senior
Braedon Poole (McDonald) had a double-double, scoring 21 points and grabbing 10 rebounds on 9-of-10 shooting. Senior
Darrell Newsom (Twinsburg) added 18 points to round out the Raiders double digit scorers.
The RedHawks (8-8) were led by Joe Pipilo who scored a team high 12 points.
Mount Union and La Roche were tied at seven with 17:02 remaining in the first half when a layup by Poole sparked a 13-2 run over the next 4:08 to give the Raiders a 20-9 lead. The RedHawks answered with a 9-2 run of their own to cut the Mount Union lead down to four with 9:32 remaining in the half. The Raiders and RedHawks traded baskets over the next five minutes until another Poole layup sparked a 9-4 run over the final 4:39 to give Mount Union a 41-30 lead going into halftime.
La Roche was able to cut the lead down to eight to open the second half before a pair of Parker free throws started an 8-2 run over the next 1:57 to stretch the Raiders lead to 14 with 16:23 remaining in the game. The RedHawks were able to cut the lead to 10 with 9:59 left in the game but that is the closest they would get as Mount Union would go on to win 81-63.
The Raiders return to Ohio Athletic Conference play next as they will host John Carroll on Wednesday, January 26 at 7 p.m. at the McPherson Academic and Athletic Complex in Alliance.
