ABERDEEN, S.D. – The Rocky Mountain College men's basketball team remained unbeaten on the young season after claiming an 85-68 win over Presentation College on Friday night at the Isreal-Strong Memorial Classic.
 
Rocky is now 6-0 to start a season for the second time in the past three seasons.
 
The Battlin' Bears took a 42-36 lead into the halftime break after an opening 20 minutes that featured seven ties and three lead changes. Their lead was 57-52 with 11:13 to play when Rocky mounted a 22-6 run to lead by 21 with just under six minutes remaining.
 
Rocky shot 47.5 percent from the field in the win. That number was inflated by the 55.6 percent in the decisive second half. The Battlin' Bears hit on 9 of 21 from beyond the arc and they recorded 16 assists and 14 turnovers.
 
Satchel McDonald led Rocky with a season-high 19 points on 7 of 10 shooting. He had two made 3-pointers, four rebounds and a pair of steals.
 
The Battlin' Bears limited Presenation (3-4) to 36.5 percent from the floor. The home squad had just four made threes on 18 attempts and they committed 16 turnovers. The Saints had a 32-29 advantage in rebounds.
 
Latrelle Franklin and Chad Kananen each scored 14 points for Rocky. Franklin added nine assists and four rebounds. Joe'l Towers scored 11 points off the bench.
 
Presentation's Julius Jackson led all players with 23 points while Marcus Gatlin added 17.
 
Rocky will close their trip to South Dakota on Saturday when they face No. 3 William Penn. Tipoff against the highest scoring team in the NAIA is scheduled for noon MT.