ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - Rochester Christian (Mich.) used a decisive late first-half surge and efficient shooting throughout to defeat Lawrence Tech 95-72 on Wednesday night at Garth Pleasant Arena.
The Blue Devils traded punches with Rochester Christian for much of the opening half and held several leads, the last at 37-36 on a 3-pointer by Damian Thompson with 4:08 left before halftime. From there, the hosts seized control, closing the half on a 15-0 run to build a 51-37 advantage at the break, capped by a James Fisher layup in the final minute. Rochester Christian never relinquished momentum, outscoring Lawrence Tech 44-35 after intermission to close out the matchup.
Lawrence Tech's offense started sharply from the perimeter. Lake McIntosh knocked down an early 3-pointer to give the Blue Devils an 18-17 edge at the 11:26 mark of the first half, and Vuk Zarubica added a fastbreak triple to push Lawrence Tech ahead 32-31 with 7:00 left in the half. Thompson's go-ahead 3-pointer less than three minutes later briefly restored the Blue Devils' lead before Rochester Christian answered with its defining run to close the frame.
The Blue Devils continued to battle from the arc after halftime but struggled to slow Rochester Christian's balanced attack. Tymias Williams powered the hosts out of the locker room, stringing together a series of baskets, including a dunk around the 12:25 mark as the lead swelled toward 65-46. Williams later buried a 3-pointer with 7:42 remaining to make it 80-63, and a late triple by Darnell Turner Jr. stretched the margin to 93-66 with just over two minutes to play.
McIntosh led Lawrence Tech with 17 points, 4 rebounds and 7 assists, connecting on four 3-pointers and closing the scoring with another triple in the final two minutes to reach the 95-72 final. Luka Uzelac added 14 points and 4 rebounds as the Blue Devils finished 28-for-64 (43.8%) from the field and 13-for-33 (39.4%) from beyond the arc. Lawrence Tech moved the ball effectively with 18 assists but could not match Rochester Christian's efficiency and free-throw production, going 3-for-7 (42.9%) at the line.
Rochester Christian shot 55.7% overall (34-for-61), including 7-for-16 (43.8%) from 3-point range, and capitalized at the stripe with a 20-for-24 (83.3%) performance. Williams finished with a game-high 25 points and 5 rebounds, while Fisher added 18 points and 5 boards. Tyler Allen chipped in 15 points, 8 rebounds and two 3-pointers, and playmaker Linden Holder contributed 13 points and 9 assists as Rochester Christian posted 15 assists against just five turnovers.
Rochester Christian held a slight 34-32 edge on the glass and turned 9 steals into transition chances that helped break the game open. Despite the final margin, Lawrence Tech's stretches of strong perimeter shooting and ball movement in the first half provided a blueprint the Blue Devils will look to build on as they continue through the February schedule.
