The Roanoke College men’s basketball team got off to a great start over the weekend by winning the Dick Leftwich Tournament at the Cregger Center in Salem. Roanoke beat Bluffton on Friday night, 70-55, then came from behind to beat North Carolina Wesleyan on Saturday, 84-71.

Saturday’s championship game was a thriller, as the Maroons trailed until late in the game after the Battling Bishops score the first eight points of the game, then opened a 14-2 lead. NC Wesleyan led 39-28 at the half.

RC came out in the second-half and cut the NCWC lead to 46-42 on a bucket by Josh Freund with just under 14 minutes to play in the game. NC Wesleyan would again build its lead back up to eight points when Robert Wilson connected on a layup with 9:13 left and made the score 57-49. Roanoke would then go on a 12-2 run, taking a 61-60 lead following a pair of free-throws from Freund with just over five minutes to go in regulation.

NCWC would come back and take a four point advantage at 67-63 game with three minutes left on the clock. A three-point play by Joey Miller pushed RC in front, 69-67, but the Bishops tied the game on a layup with 1:17 on the Cregger Center clock. Each team would have the ball down the stretch but couldn’t score, sending the game to overtime.

In the extra frame, RC scored the first six points, going up 75-69 on a Freund bucket. NC Wesleyan would cut it to 75-71, but the Maroons would score eight of the final nine points to secure the win.

RC senior Miller was named most outstanding player of the tournament, scoring 22 points and grabbing 12 rebounds in the championship game. He was joined on the all-tournament team by teammate C.J. Miles, who finished the game with 19 points. Freund also had 24 points and nine rebounds while Jorden Davis had 12 points and seven rebounds off the bench for RC.

In Friday’s game Miles scored 20 points while Miller and Freund tallied 12 and 11 points, respectively. Freund grabbed 10 rebounds on the night to record the double-double.

The Maroons were scheduled to host William Peace on Tuesday, but results were too late for publication. On Sunday, November 26, Greensboro College is here for a 2 pm game.