PITTSBURGH, PA – The Redhawks (11-8, 9-3) climbed into a first place tie in the AMCC standings with a 68-59 win over Medaille (12-7, 9-3) on Saturday. The visiting Mavericks came into the contest winners of seven straight before La Roche handed them the loss.

Derek Barber-Richards, one of the Redhawks' senior captains, pulled down board after board and finished with 14 points and 19 rebounds.

"As a team, we knew that it was a big game and we needed to come out strong. I felt that if I played well and I came out with a lot of energy my team would feed off that. We got the team win and we've got to push forward to the playoffs."

La Roche held a five point advantage before going on a 22-10 run over the final ten minutes to hand Medaille their largest halftime deficit of the season. Andre Flanigan sparked the run with a coast-to-coast layup and the Redhawks followed with steals on three straight possessions.

Medaille tried to chip away at La Roche's lead but could get no closer than 9 points because of their tough defense. The Mavericks shot just 31% from the field and went 2 for 12 from outside the arc in the second half.

Barber-Richards registered a career-high 19 rebounds and scored 14 points. Lionel Perkins finished with a team-best 16 points on 5 of 12 from the field and Flanigan and David Jackson added 12 points each. Daron Tabron, Nick Herman, and Jean Freeman provided quality minutes off the bench.

Medaille came into the game shooting 48% from the field but were held to just 33% in the game. La Roche outrebound the Mavericks 44-28 and outscored Medaille in the paint 40-24.

The Redhawks embark on another important game Wednesday when they travel to Mt. Aloysius College (13-6, 9-3). La Roche beat Mt. Aloysius 80-69 on December 12, but the Mounties are coming off a 70-60 win over Penn State Behrend on Saturday.