RAIDERS RALLY IN SECOND HALF TO BEAT CLEVELAND STATE 70-59
Roane State overcame uncharacteristically slow first half to rally past Cleveland State 70-59 on Wednesday night, outscoring the Cougars by 23 after the break behind a stifling defense and balanced scoring.
Trailing 34-22 at halftime after shooting just 22 points, the Raiders rallied with an 18-2 run early in the second half that seized control for good. The victory keeps Roane State in the hunt within the Tennessee Community College Athletic Association standings, with three road games left to close the regular season.
"We talked about it at halftime. When we're not hitting shots, how can we impact the game? When the ball's not going in and there are no easy opportunities, how are we going to get in a rhythm?" head coach Alan Holt said. "Our guys just come out and played a lot harder in the second half."
The defensive intensity sparked the turnaround. Roane State's guards ramped up pressure, forcing turnovers that fueled transition buckets. "Cleveland is a lot more active defensively. They're really swarming the ball on the defensive end of the floor," Holt added.
Adonai Mussie anchored the effort with 12 points and nine rebounds, including three offensive boards that created second-chance points. His defensive presence impacted the game intensely with four steals and three blocks that disrupted Cleveland State's flow. Holt praised the guards for setting the tone, particularly Towan Siler, who snapped out of a month-long slump with aggressive play.
"Towan Siler's kind of struggled the last month or so, and he was able to really get a rhythm in the second half, because he was just playing hard," Holt said. "When he plays hard, the ceiling's the limit for that kid. He just has to continue to mature and do that every single night now."
Dashawn Hall-Johnson paced the Raiders with 19 points on 8-of-12 shooting, adding seven rebounds and a block. He was the lone consistent scorer in the first half, carrying the load when shots weren't falling for others.
"Deshaun was huge for us tonight. He was the only guy who could hit a shot in the 1st half, and he continued to do so in the second half," Holt noted.
Jordan Hamilton contributed nine points on perfect 3-of-3 field-goal shooting, adding three assists. Mikey Carpenter dished out a team-high five assists, and Daron Waller added nine points on 4-of-4 free-throw shooting.
The win highlighted Roane State's resilience, a theme Holt has emphasized amid inconsistent performances. Last week, the Raiders started strong but faded, but this time, they reversed the trend.
"The key is staying focused on the main things that make us who we are," Holt said. "When we get worried about whether shots are going in or not and our body language changes, it hurts us a lot. When we're able to keep the main things like playing hard, defending the basketball, trying to force the team to turn the ball over, that really kind of gives us consistency on both ends."
Looking ahead, Holt stressed aggression as key to finishing strong. "We always kind of say every year, we want to be the bully. We don't want to be the kid getting their lunch money stolen," he said. "We have to be the team that's aggressive and intense at all times. We've got to really settle into that in this stretch here, especially when we finish with three games on the road."