SALEM, Va. - Host Roanoke College held off a strong second half Shenandoah University comeback attempt in an 85-76 ODAC men's basketball victory Saturday afternoon at the Cregger Center.

Roanoke (14-7, 7-5 ODAC) jumped out to an 11-point halftime lead and then held on versus Shenandoah (8-13, 3-9).

Trailing by as many as 13, SU was able to cut the deficit to just four, 73-69, following a Jonah Meredith three-point play with 3:47 to play.

Coach Adam Walsh' club kept that gap to four points for the next 1:22 only to see the Maroons close out the contest on a 10-5 run to clinch the victory.

Roanoke made 10 of its 12 free throw attempts, including nine in a row, during this closing stretch.

With the Hornets leading 11-10 following a Christopher Chaney layup with 14:55 to play in the first, RC took the lead for good on a 16-4 run over a span of 5:36 that gave the hosts a 26-15 lead with 8:19 remaining.

Meredith would stop this run by canning a pair from the line at 8:02, but another run, this one 8-4, pushed the Maroons lead out to 15 points by the 6:47 mark.

Two more Meredith free throws four seconds before the halftime buzzer cut the deficit to 11 at the break.

Chaney paced the visitors with 16 points off the bench with Dominic Steward adding 15 and Meredith 12.

SU had a 42-38 advantage on the glass with Chaney recording a double-double thanks to 11 rebounds.

The Hornets shot 28-for-64 (44 percent) to 46 percent (29-of-63) for the Maroons.

Josh Freund had 31 points for the hosts.

Shenandoah returns home on Wednesday for a 7 p.m. contest versus Washington and Lee.

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