Men’s Basketball Brushes Past Houghton, Advances to Conference Tournament Semifinal
UTICA, NY – The Utica University men’s basketball team defeated the Houghton University Highlanders by a score of 80-68 in the first round of the Empire 8 Conference Men’s Basketball Tournament on Saturday afternoon. With the win, the Pioneers will advance to the tournament semifinal.
Five different Pioneers finished with double figures in scoring. Damien Call (Rome, NY/Rome Free Academy) led the Pioneers with a double double (15 pts, 10 reb) along with a team high five assists. Dayion Thompson (Beacon, NY/Kimball Union Academy) chipped in 14 points going a perfect 9-9 from the free throw line, as well as a steal. Isaiah Smith (Amsterdam, NY/Schalmont) was a spark off the bench for the Pioneers, contributing 14 points. Hagen Foley (Albany, NY/Christian Brothers Academy) and Liam Teague (Guilderland, NY/Guilderland) each chipped in 11 points with Foley tallying two assists and a steal, and Teague with nine total rebounds and a block.
To open the frame, Thompson would find Call with an alley-oop on the opening possession. Utica would then open the contest getting out by two possessions early off a tip-in layup from Devon Flynn (Red Hook, NY/Red Hook) and a three from Call. Houghton would make quick work of the early deficit with a pair of layups and converting on an and-one to take the lead with four and a half minutes gone in the first half. Both teams would trade baskets, with the Pioneers being able to capitalize on turnover and missed baskets by the Highlanders to get back out to a two possession lead with half of the frame remaining. Houghton would be able to fully cut the deficit, but the Pioneers would immediately swing the momentum back into its favor. From there, Utica would go on an 18-7 run, sparked by a layup from Flynn to carry the Pioneers into the locker room with a 37-20 lead at halftime.
Coming out of the break, Thompson would start the scoring for the Pioneers with a jumper in the mid range and a three to get the Pioneer lead back out to double digits. Houghton would begin to chip away at the deficit, coming within two of the Pioneers, but Foley would push the lead back out to two possessions with a three with just under five minutes gone in the frame. From there, it would take almost three minutes for either team to score, and it would be Smith that would break the ice for Utica. The Pioneers would push the pace once more, quickly getting back out to a triple digit, and growing lead with over half the frame gone. Utica would be able to get out to as much as 14 in the final five and a half minutes of the contest, but the Highlanders would be ready to push back the other way. The Pioneer defense would be able to stifle the Highlanders in the final minutes of the contest, squashing the Highlanders hopes of mounting a comeback. Utica would walk away with the victory by a score of 80-68.
Utica (19-7,13-4 Empire 8) will square off in a semifinal matchup against Nazareth on Wednesday, February 26 on Miga Court inside the Clark Athletic Center. Tip off time is yet to be determined.
An ELECTRIC Comeback Win Over Russell Sage Pushes Men’s Basketball to the Semifinal Round
ROCHESTER, NY – On Saturday evening, men’s basketball had a comeback win to survive and advance in the Empire 8 tournament. Nazareth was down by 17 points with 12 minutes left in the second half and came back to win the game 73-65.
The beginning of the first half was very back and forth, neither team holding a double-digit lead until the Gators went up 27-16 with under 10 minutes left in the half. In the last minutes of the half, Nazareth was able to cut the lead down to eight and headed into the locker room down 38-30.
Scoring for the Golden Flyers in the first half was Jaylen Savage with 13, Liam Hopwoodwith six, Merritt Holly and Tyler Putney with four, Jack Broderick with two, and Solomon McFarlane with one.
The second half began with a 6-0 run from Russell Sage to put the Gators up by 14 in the first five minutes of the half. By the 12:12 minute mark, the Gators had extended its lead to 17 at 51-34.
Backs against the wall, Nazareth began to dig out of the hole with an 11-0 run to get the lead back down to six while the fans roared from the stands. After allowing a few buckets from Sage, Nazareth went on another run, this time 14-2 to tie up the score at 57 with three minutes and 43 seconds left to play.
After a made layup from Sage, Nazareth again went on a run while forcing Sage into missed shots and turnovers. With two minutes and 10 seconds left, Putney drained a big three to give Nazareth its first multi-possession lead of the game at 65-59. With one minute left, Nazareth went up 67-59 in their biggest lead of the game. Nazareth took the win at a score of 73-65.
Fun fact: In the last 12 minutes of game play, Nazareth went on a total run of 39-14. Fourteen of Nazareth’s points in the last minutes of the game belong to Savage.
Savage led the scoring efforts with 29 points total while also adding eight rebounds. J Broderick and Putney were the other Golden Flyers in double digits, scoring 14 and 12 respectively while Putney also added four rebounds. Holly led the rebounding efforts with nine while also putting up seven points. Hopwood had a well-rounded game with six points, six rebounds, two steals, and two assists, while McFarlane put up five points, grabbed three rebounds, and snatched four steals. Luke Insley led the team in assists with five.
With the win, the Golden Flyers will advance to the semifinal round at #2 Utica on Wednesday, February 26.
MBB: Wildcats Hang On Against The Saxons, Advance to the E8 Semifinals
Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly men’s basketball team edged the Alfred University Saxons 66-65 in the first round of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. Cheickne Toureled the Wildcats with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Anthony Rose contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds. The victory sends SUNY Poly into the semifinal round, where they will face either SUNY Brockport or SUNY Geneseo.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The first half was a tight, back-and-forth battle with both teams relying on aggressive play in the paint and timely fast breaks. SUNY Poly struck early as Toure opened the scoring with a layup at 19:23, giving them a slight lead. Alfred quickly responded, with Zion Baitey scoring a fastbreak layup to tie the game at 2-2 at 18:05. Both teams struggled with shooting early on, missing several layups and committing turnovers. But Alfred’s Casey Curran steadied his team, knocking down a pair of free throws and a jumper to put the Saxons ahead 6-4 at 16:15.
The Wildcats regained the advantage as their offense found a rhythm, led by Rose, who scored several layups and a jumper, putting the Wildcats up 16-13 with just under 12 minutes left. The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes, with Curran hitting a crucial three-pointer to tie the game at 16-16. After a timeout at 12:34, the pace slowed, but both teams continued to battle. Rose and Daimarr Miller were key contributors, scoring in the paint and helping the Wildcats push their lead to 24-19 with 6:59 left.
Alfred responded with strong performances from Tyler Hind and Kenneth Allison Jr., cutting the deficit to 27-21 with a Hind layup at 4:16. As the first half wound down, the Wildcats hit several crucial shots, including a three-pointer from Dylan Ernst to extend their lead to 30-21 at 3:26. Alfred kept fighting, with Hind adding a layup and Allison hitting a free throw to make it 32-24 at 2:35. However, Rose scored another layup, putting the Wildcats up 34-24. Alfred’s Baitey managed a layup in the final seconds, but it wasn’t enough to close the gap, and SUNY Poly went into the locker room leading 34-28.
The second half was a thrilling display of fast-paced basketball, with both teams fighting for control. Wildcat Dylan Ernstopened the half with a fastbreak layup to extend the lead to 36-30, and Toure followed with a pair of free throws. Alfred kept it close, with Hind scoring a layup and free throws to keep the deficit manageable. However, the Wildcats’ balanced offense—led by Miller, Rose, and Toure—kept the pressure on, and Toure hit a critical three-pointer with just under five minutes to go to make it 61-52.
Alfred made a strong push to close the gap, with Curran scoring quick layups and hitting a crucial three-pointer. Charles Amoi added a fastbreak layup and converted a free throw to make it 65-62 with less than two minutes remaining. But Toure sealed the game for SUNY Poly, putting the Wildcats up 66-64 with just 10 seconds left.
The Saxons had one final chance to tie the game, but could not convert two free throws in the closing seconds, allowing the Wildcats to hold on for the 66-65 win.
With the win, SUNY Poly advances to the Empire 8 semifinals and will await the winner of SUNY Brockport vs. SUNY Geneseo.
“I am so proud of our group,” said head coach Rob Schoener. “No Marqus, Cheick hasn’t played in two weeks, and everyone has stepped up! Dylan gave us a monster lift today. To steal Coach Ludden’s word of the day, they showed so much GRIT! Can’t wait to get back to work Monday!”
Men’s Basketball Rolls Past #8 Seed Geneseo in Empire 8 Quarterfinals
Brockport, NY- The #1-seeded Brockport men’s basketball team defeated #8 seed Geneseo, 87-66, on Saturday, February 22nd. The Golden Eagles moved to 17-9 overall and 14-2 in Empire 8 contests, advancing to the Empire 8 Tournament Semifinals.
Zachary Rice led the SUNY Brockport basketball team with a standout performance, scoring 22 points, including four 3-pointers, and grabbing nine rebounds.
Tony Arnold was effective on both ends of the court, contributing 16 points on 6 of 9 shooting and securing five steals.
Mekhi Beckett also added 16 points in an effective effort, shooting 6 of 11 from the field.
Jakhi Lucas facilitated the offense with a team-high five assists and added two steals.
Alex Tavarez scored 11 points while shooting 5 of 7 from the field and provided four assists.
The Golden Eagles opened the contest with a strong offensive performance, highlighted by Alex Tavarez, who scored a series of key baskets, including a 3-pointer at 17:15 to tie the game at 5-5.
Brockport maintained momentum in the first with contributions from Zachary Rice and Tony Arnold, both adding critical points that kept Brockport ahead. Brockport’s defensive efforts were evident with 14 defensive rebounds, allowing the squad to finish the half leading 41-36 over the Knights.
In the second half, SUNY Brockport’s offense was highlighted by Zachary Rice, who contributed significantly with back-to-back consecutive 3-pointers at 18:38 and 18:20. Colby Jordan added to the momentum with a successful layup at 19:21, followed by another jumper at 17:38.
Tony Arnold played a pivotal role later in the half, securing multiple defensive rebounds and scoring crucial points, including a fast-break layup at 11:44, which was part of a scoring streak that extended the lead.
Brockport’s defense was effective, forcing turnovers and capitalizing on them, as seen with Tony Arnold’s steal and layup at 9:09, helping to maintain a lead throughout the half, ultimately resulting in a 46-30 scoring advantage over the Knights in the second half.
Brockport would dominate the rebounding battle, out-rebounding Geneseo 44-29 on the day.
Up Next: Brockport will play host to SUNY Poly on Wednesday, February 26th, with the time of the contest still to be determined.