ROSEMONT, Pa. --  By the time Alumnae Gym had cleared out on Thursday night, there was a look of exhaustion on almost every member of the Rosemont Men's Basketball teams face.
They had been put through the wringer on this hot night in Lower Merion. And perhaps most importantly for a team trying to find an identity as the season begins to turn for home, they found a way to down a good opponent who had a world of momentum.
Mekhi Clemons scored 23 points while Jalil Myers added 21 and grabbed 17 rebounds as the Ravens survived a late rush from the Mighty Macs to earn a critical 78-70 home win in a big Colonial States Athletic Conference contest.
The win improved Rosemont to 8-5 overall and 4-3 in the CSAC, keeping them ahead of the Mighty Macs and Marywood for fifth place in the CSAC standings as the season turns towards the second half. After four straight at home, the Ravens now have three of the next four away from Alumnae Gym - so this was pretty much a must win with the schedule turning tougher down the stretch.
The Ravens had a huge first half, shooting 63 percent from the floor to take a 44-27 lead at intermission. But the Mighty Macs (6-7, 3-4 CSAC) received some big scoring in the second half from Asa Kitchen, who added 17 points on 8 of 13 from the floor. Mike Piekarski scored 16 for the Macs, who shot 55 percent from the floor in the second ahlf and kept chipping away, cutting the lead to two at 68-66 with 3:11 on a Piekarski layup.
However, the Ravens pulled away, ending the game on a 10-4 run that also saw them force three turnovers in the final three minutes and improve their defensive coverage on the outside.
Clemons was 7-of-10 from the floor and 8-of-10 from the line. Alex Epps-Ortiz scored 10 points, grabbed five rebounds and four assists in the win as well.