Strong Start Keys Victory Over Roanoke
Box Score
SALEM,Va. --- There are now two squads that
have won a decade's worth of Old Dominion Athletic Conference
(ODAC) and both were in action on Sunday afternoon.
Hampden-Sydney College, powered by an explosive first half, claimed
the 2007 ODAC Men's Basketball Championship title, defeating
Roanoke College 77-62 for its 10th conference crown.
HSC senior Mike Edwards was named for the tournament's most
valuable player, scoring 71 points over the course of the three
games including a game-high 27 against Roanoke. He made all
five of his shots from deep and also collected two steals.
"I just came out ready to play," said Edwards. "My teammates were
behind me. They were behind me ever since day one, and I
happy that it happened for us."
Junior Tyler Murray chipped in his second double-double of the
tournament, registering 15 points and 14 rebounds. Freshman
Turner King added 13 points and six rebounds, and sophomore Jyri
Laakso went for seven points and four rebounds.
Junior A.J. Dowell led the Maroons with 20 points and four
assists. He made 8-of-12 foul shots. Sophomore Curtis
Peery chipped in 10 points, six rebounds and four steals, while
juniors Ben Shrader and Josh LaPorte added nine apiece.
Hampden-Sydney opened the game firing on all cylinders. Three
early Roanoke miscues, a pair of threes from Edwards and one from
Medlin helped the Tigers to an early 11-3 lead. Laakso pushed
the advantage further with a put-back of his own miss for a 13-3
lead with 15:15 on the clock. Edwards kept Roanoke on its
heels with a third long-distance make lending to a Roanoke
timeout.
The Tigers continued to increase its lead following the pause in
play, making the score 26-4 after following two more
three-pointers, one from Murray and the fourth for Edwards.
Roanoke was again forced to stop the clock and talk it over with
9:07 left in the opening frame.
Tee Jackson finally took the lid off the rim for the Maroons, give
them their first field goal with a three-pointer at the 8:55
mark. Zach Milton followed with a lay-up to cut the deficit
down to 28-9, but a lay-up by Murray and another triple from
Edwards pushed the Tigers lead to 24 at 33-9 with 6:53 on the
clock.
A pair of free throws and lay-in by Dowell gave the Maroon attack a
bit of rhythm, but it was short-lived due to a Tiger 30-second
break. The Tigers reestablished their offense, extending
their advantage back over 20 points following a couple off lay-ins
and a three by Drew Prehmus. HSC went into the half up 42-14
having shot 58.6-percent in the opening stanza.
"When the ball goes in it's an easy game," according to HSC head
coach Bubba Smith. "We got some early buckets and our guys
were playing loose early."
Shrader started the second frame on a better note for the Maroons,
hitting a three-pointer inside of one minute gone. He hit a
second with 17:30 mark followed by a LaPorte lay-up to pull the
score to 44-22.
Peery pulled Roanoke with 19 at 47-28 after the front-end of two
free tosses, and Dowell cut the deficit to 17 with a hanging jumper
in the lane at the 14:13 mark. A jumper by Peery and one by
Schrader got the Maroons to within 13 points, the closest they had
been since 14:19 of the first half.
Murray calmed Roanoke's run with a lay-up with 12:11 to play, and
Laakso completed a three-point play to move Hampden-Sydney back out
by 18 at 52-34.
The margin hovered around 16 points for several minutes before
Dowell canned a three with 8:35 to play to make the score
58-45. LaPorte kept the difference at 13 with his first make
from downtown. An 18-footer by Peery with 4:11 pulled Roanoke
within 12 at 66-54.
Edwards picked up his 22nd point of the game with the
first of two from the line, and King put back his second miss to
put Hampden-Sydney back up by 15 at 69-54. Three for from the
stripe by Edwards moved the Tigers out to a 72-56 edge, but Dowell
recouped those points with his second three-pointer with 2:35 to
play.
A toss by Schrader and transition lay-up by Drew Gaeng pulled
Roanoke to within 10 at 72-62 with 1:10 to play, but a combination
of missed shots from deep and converted HSC free throws closed out
the game for the Tigers.
ODAC All-Tournament Team
Mike Edwards, Hampden-Sydney College MVP
Turner King, Hampden-Sydney College
Tyler Murray, Hampden-Sydney College
A.J. Dowell, Roanoke College
Curtis Peery, Roanoke College