Centreville, Mich. – The Raiders couldn't overcome an early deficit and drop their first conference game of the year, 94-82 at Glen Oaks Community College. The loss snaps the Raiders 6 game win streak and puts their record at 11-5 overall and 4-1 in the conference. For the Vikings they picked up their first conference win and improved their overall record to 4-10.
The Vikings had high efficiency from all areas on the night, especially from behind the arc where they shot 47%, including 54% in the first half. They jumped out to an 8-0, before a Sammie Ryans (Kentwood, MI) three with 17:14 on the clock put the Raiders on the board. Down 17-5, the Raiders would rally back and pull ahead after a William Otole (Grand Rapids, MI) 3 with 8:15 left, but a Jamel Boyd bucket just a minute later made it 34-33 and the Vikings would never look back.
Boyd had a stellar first half with 19 points on 8 of 11 shooting and 8 rebounds. He would finish with a game high 27 points and 19 points. The Vikings finished that first half on a 12-1 run to take 48-36 lead.
In the second half, the Vikings picked up right they left off. A 19-8 run to start the half made it a 23 point game with 12:52 remaining. It was the largest lead of the game, but the Raiders didn't give up and made runs of their own to get back in the ball game.
Down 73-51, the Raiders picked it up on the defensive end, forcing 4 turnovers (including 3 in a row at one point) and went on a 17-4 run to make it just a single digit game with 7:04 remaining. That's as close as they would get though. The Vikings took advantage of the 17 second half fouls by the Raiders by connecting on 20 of 28 from the line to help secure the win. For the game, the Vikings made 23 free throws compared to 13 for GRCC.
Camren Spicer (Grand Rapids, MI) and Ryans each scored 17 points on the night to lead their team. David Hearns (Hazel Park, MI) went for 15 points, 5 rebounds and a game high 7 assists. Ike Kanu (Grand Rapids, MI) had 7 points and a team high 11 rebounds and 6 steals.
The Raiders will look to get back in the winning column as they host Lake Michigan College this Friday night on Homecoming Day where free food and refreshments will be provided before the women's game. The Red Hawks lost Wednesday night at Jackson, 83-69 dropping their record to 3-13 and 1-4 in conference play.
