REDHAWKS SEASON COMES TO A CLOSE IN NCAA TOURNAMENT

The La Roche University men's basketball team saw its NCAA Tournament appearance end in the First Round, as the Redhawks fell to the top overall seed and #1 team in the country, Hampden-Sydney College, 98-61.

In the very early stages of the matchup, it was La Roche on top, leading 5-4 in the first 1:52 of play.

A pair of free-throws gave the Tigers the lead, one from that point it would never relinquish.

With 13:26 remaining in the first half, trailing 16-8, the Redhawks would put Hampden-Sydney on its heels momentarily, using a 7-0 run over the next 20 second to trim the deficit to 16-15, doing so behind 4-for-4 free-throw shooting thanks to a pair of Tiger technical fouls and a three-pointer.

Just shy of the midway point of the half, La Roche was still right there with the top overall seed, trailing just 23-21 with 9:59 to go.

It was then, Hampden-Sydney put together a 15-3 run, making it a 38-24 score with 5:30 remaining and would coast to a halftime lead of 55-35.

Out of the break, the Redhawks were doing all it could to try and chip away, but no matter what, the Tigers had a response, as the deficit never dropped below the 20-point mark as Hampden-Sydney advanced to the Second Round.

For the night, La Roche shot 19-for-55 (34.5%) from the floor and 9-for-25 (36%) from behind the arc. At the charity stripe, the Redhawks hit 14 of 18 attempts, a 77.8% clip.

On the other side, the Tigers would shoot 59.4% (38-for-64), 9-for-27 from three (33.3%) and 13-for-18 (72.2%) from the free-throw line.

It was the rebounding margin that played dividends in the end, as La Roche was outrebounded 50-19 on the night.

A trio of Redhawks scored in double-figures on the night, with freshman Bryce Epps shining on the big stage to lead the way. Epps ended the night with 22 points behind 7-for-12 shooting and a 3-for-5 clip from behind the arc, adding three rebounds to his stat line. Senior Frank Stumpo, in his final game, put together 13 points and a team-high five rebounds, while Dawson Summers chipped in 12 points, three rebounds and a block.

La Roche concludes the 2023-24 season with a final overall record of 17-11, as well as an AMCC regular season and tournament championship.