WARRIORS CONTROL TEMPO FROM START TO FINISH AGAINST REDEEMER

ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. - The Warriors got plenty of action in the paint on Thursday afternoon, defeating the Redeemer Royals 87-56 in a home matchup. With 56 points in the paint, several Warriors were involved both offensively and defensively in the win. James Fisher led the Warriors in scoring with 18 points, while RCU's four other starters also scored in double-figures. 

THE RUNDOWN

FIRST HALF

The Warriors stormed out the gate with a 9-0 lead, with Fisher responsible for seven of RCU's first nine points. The Warriors slashed inside for much of the game, trying to find open layups in the short corners off drive opportunities. RCU grew their lead even further ahead of the first media timeout, thanks to paint baskets by forwards Ashton Goul and Brett White. White capped off the momentous start with a tomahawk slam after a steal by Fisher on the fastbreak. 

RCU continued to make their bread on the offensive backboard, with freshman Dustin Farrow snagging three offensive boards in the first half, resulting in easy tip-ins for the forward. Farrow and the Warriors continued to dominate the paint, with guards Brody Parker and Gunner Walters beating the Royals' press offense and finding open lanes to the rim. With 18 seconds remaining in the half, White knocked down a three to put the Warriors up 45-27 at halftime. 

SECOND HALF

RCU continued to wreck havoc on the Redeemer ballhandlers, forcing steals that resulted in fastbreak dunks for Fisher, including an alley-oop from Parker. White followed that up with an emphatic two-handed slam shortly after to keep the Warriors rolling, and RCU was coasting towards the finish. Walters, who was pressured throughout the game by the Redeemer press, wasn't fazed, using his speed to get past the Redeemer backcourt and score some tough layups in transition. 

The Warriors' bench unit also contributed heavily to the win, with guard Tre Walker III and forward Roland Vincze attacking the paint to put pressure on the aggressive Redeemer defense. Walker was very effective on defense for the Warriors, logging four steals while knocking down jumpers on the other end. Vincze aided in running the Warrior offense, finding guard Jeremy Neal on a backdoor pass for an easy layup. RCU capped the game off on a layup by Goul for an and-one, ending the final score at 87-56. 

STAT OF THE GAME

The Warriors out-scored the Royals in the paint 56-16 while out-rebounding the Royals 56-28. 

UP NEXT

The Warriors will wake up and do it again tomorrow, Friday, Dec. 20, hosting St. Thomas. Tip-off takes place at 1 p.m.

Hussein Murray - RCU Athletic Communications

Featured Image: Dakota Shafer - RCU Athletics