Rockhurst boxscore in PDF

Kansas City, Mo. - The Maryville men's basketball team put six players in double figures but Rockhurst rallied in the second half in a 93-83 win Saturday afternoon in Kansas City, Mo. Jeff Leeson had 14 points to lead the Saints in scoring, while Anthony Johnson just missed a double-double with 11 points and nine rebounds.
 
The Saints used a 14-0 run to turn a 21-18 deficit into a 32-21 lead. Leeson started the run with a layup, and Johnson converted twice to push the Saints ahead. Forrester Sims took control with three straight baskets. Ben Volkman capped the burst with two free throws for the 11-point advantage with 7:56 left in the half. The Saints still led by a 47-38 count but the Hawks hit four free throws to cut the Maryville lead down to 47-42 at halftime.
 
Early in the second half, Leeson drilled a 3-pointer as the Saints went up 55-48. Rockhurst scored seven straight points and forged a tie at 55-55. Karson King's three-point play put the Saints back up, and Grant Sims sank two free throws for a 60-57 lead at the 13:38 mark. Rockhurst took its first lead of the half at 64-63. Trailing 67-63, the Saints tied the game at 69-69 on a Volkman layup with 8:05 left in the game. Rockhurst scored for a 71-69 lead but Volkman hit one free throw. Rockhurst took a 75-70 led before King knocked down a jumper to pull the Saints to 75-72.
 
Rockhurst converted a three-point play for a 78-72 edge but Jimmy Barton drilled a 3-pointer to get the Saints back to 78-75 with 4:32 to play. The Hawks scored a basket, and Johnson hit two free throws to keep Maryville within three. Rockhurst built an 83-77 advantage with 3:29 remaining. King hit two free throws, and Sukhman Bhinder had a steal and fed Barton for an easy layup as the Saints closed to 83-81 with three minutes to play. However, the Hawks outscored the Saints 10-2 the rest of the way to hold on for the win.
 
Leeson shot 50 percent from the field and hit two 3-pointers and two free throws to pace Maryville. Forrester Sims finished with 13 points, while Barton and Grant Sims tallied a dozen points. Johnson and King chipped in 11 points each. Rockhurst also put six players in double figures and improved to 12-7 overall, 6-5 in the GLVC.
 
The Saints are now 7-16 overall, 1-10 in the conference. Maryville is back on the court Thursday, Feb. 2, as it plays at McKendree.