Brockport Falls to CWRU in Double OT
Cleveland, OH – The SUNY Brockport men’s basketball lost a double-overtime heartbreaker against Case Western Reserve University on Saturday, 101-99. CWRU scored in the final seconds to pull out the win in the Bill Sudeck Tournament Championship Game, as Brockport moves to 1-1 to start the year.
Following the loss, Tony Arnold was named to the Bill Sudeck All-Tournament Team. Arnold did it all on Saturday with 21 points, 11 boards, five assists, and three steals.
Zachary Rice had 16 points and eight boards, while Alex Tavarez added 13 points off the bench. Colby Jordan played 46 minutes in the contest, chipping in everywhere with 10 points, six boards, and two steals.
The two teams traded blows from start to finish in this one. Going back and forth in a tight game, the largest lead of the first half was six points. In the first half the score was tied up five different times with 10 lead changes. CWRU edged out a 39-36 lead at halftime.
Early in the second half was more of the same in a competitive matchup out in Cleveland. However, this time around the Golden Eagles would create some space with a 10-point lead. CWRU closed the gap in the final minutes to retake a 2-point lead. Tony Arnold nailed a pair of clutch free throws to end the game to overtime.
Arnold came up big again during clutch moments in the first overtime period. He scored the team’s last six points in the period, including four straight makes at the foul line to tie the game up at 89-89.
In the second overtime, all the effort was spoiled by a last second shot by CWRU. Alex Tavarez tied the score up at 99-99, but a layup from Umar Rashid right before time expired stole the win for CWRU, 101-99.
The Golden Eagles are on the road again next weekend for a trip to Mount Union on Friday at 7pm and John Carroll at 3pm on Saturday.
Brockport Downs SUNY Canton out in Cleveland
Cleveland, OH – On Friday, the SUNY Brockport men’s basketball team defeated SUNY Canton, 98-70, in the season opener on day one of the Bill Sudeck Tournament. Brockport starts the season 1-0 and will face the host school Case Western Reserve University at 2pm in the tournament championship game.
Zachary Rice led Brockport’s group of five double-digit scorers in the contest. Rice had a game-high 21 points, doing most of his damage from long range (5-12 3pt). The junior also led the team with nine rebounds to go with four steals.
Alex Tavarez had 16 points, five boards, and four assists in 24 minutes off the bench. Mekhi Beckettscored an efficient 11 for Brockport in just 12 minutes of action.
Colby Jordan starts his senior season in double figures with 10 points, going 2-for-2 from deep. Classmate Milo Scheve followed suit with 10 points, coming up with four steals on the defensive side of the action.
Both teams battled in a tight showing to start the game, playing to a 21-21 tie through the first 10 minutes. However, the Golden Eagles outscored Canton 26-13 to close out the first half. They would earn a 47-34 advantage going into halftime.
Canton was not given much of an opportunity to close the gap, with Brockport extending its lead to 20 points early in the second half. With a comfortable 20-point lead, some new faces were able to record their first career collegiate points.
Emilio Nabli, Joseph Puccio, Miles Johnson, and Cole Harding all scored two points in their first game at the college level. Brockport benefitted from 17-for-20 shooting at the foul line and nine makes from downtown compared to just two from Canton. The boys also took care of the ball, committing 12 fewer turnovers than Canton.
The Golden Eagles will now move forward to play Case Western Reserve University at 2pm on Saturday in the Bill Sudeck Tournament Championship Game.