ROCHESTER HILLS, Mich. – The Indiana Tech men's basketball team avenged an earlier loss in the season to Rochester College by coming up on top in a "Battle of the Warriors" with a hard-fought 48-45 nonconference victory on Monday night at Rochester High School.
Miles Robinson had a game-high 19 points and pulled down eight rebounds.
Tanner Watkins added 12 points, three rebounds and two steals, while
Jaelan Manson chipped in nine points.
Dominique Walls had five points, a game-high 11 rebounds and two blocks, while
Lavonte Davis grabbed nine boards and added three blocks.
The Crimson and White Warriors got out to a 7-0 lead, but the Orange and Black responded with an 8-0 spurt from Robinson, with two his buckets coming getting a boost from blocks via Walls and Davis.
Rochester would come back with a 15-5 run to go up 22-13 with just under five minutes left in the first half. A three from Watkins would be just one of two Tech baskets in the final four minutes of the half as the hosts would use an 8-2 run to head into the locker room up 30-18.
Another triple from Watkins and a jumper from Robinson cut the deficit to seven points with just over two minutes gone in the second half, but Rochester would continue to hold on to the lead and countered the Warriors runs.
The tide would begin to turn with 10:16 to go in the game when a three from Manson started a 16-0 for the visitors who took their first lead since the 12:35 mark in the first half with another basket from Manson. Robinson would cap the run with a triple of his own to put Tech up 46-41 with 3:17 to go. Each side would go cold over the next 2:42 though, combining to go 0-for-4 from the floor.
A basket from Rochester would bring the hosts to within two at 47-45 with seconds left to go and Tech left some life in the Warriors as they could only hit one of their two free throws, but a potential game-tying three-pointer missed as the Orange and Black completed the comeback victory.
Tech (17-7) returns to conference action on Wednesday with a matchup against Marygrove on the road. Tipoff is set for 8 p.m. from Detroit's Northwest Activities Center.
