MARCY, N.Y. – The SUNYIT Men's Basketball Team (10-4, 5-3 NEAC) has had their share of impressive shooting performances this season, leading the NEAC with an incredible 50% shooting clip so far. Sunday's 112-91 win over the Penn State-Abington Nittany Lions – who, prior to Sunday's game, were in 2nd place in the conference – showcased a whole new level of offensive efficiency.
In particular, the Wildcats laid a 69-spot on the scoreboard for the second half, shooting 63% for the half and making 5 of their 11 attempts from long range. To put that number in perspective, there are currently three teams in the NEAC averaging 69 points or less per game.
The Wildcats jumped out to an early lead in the first half, leading by as many as 18 points after a Ryan James (Saratoga Springs, N.Y. / Saratoga Springs) three-pointer with 7:05 to play in the first. The senior finished with a workmanlike 15 points, adding 5 rebounds and 4 assists.
College basketball, however, is a game of runs, and the Nittany Lions responded to James's three with a 17-1 run to pull within two, down just 39-37, and SUNYIT would take just a 43-39 lead into the locker room.
In the second half the Nittany Lions would finally tie the score at 48-48 just three minutes in, but ironically in a game dominated by offense, it was the Wildcat defense that put a stop to the visitor's comeback attempt. Three steals in the span of a minute helped SUNYIT push the lead back up to double-digits. Included in that tally was a blocked pass by Maverick Hodge (Bronx, N.Y. / Samuel Gompers) that ricocheted right to Alexander Drake (West Sand Lake, N.Y. / Lansingburgh) for a fast-break layup. On the very next play, in almost the same spot right around the midcourt line, it was James picking the pocket of Abington guard Kevin Cooper, leading to a layup and a foul on the other end. The play forced an Abington timeout, but James would knock down the free throw when play resumed to complete the 3-point play and give SUNYIT a 67-55 advantage, the team's largest lead since the 6:02 mark of the first half.
Drake had a near-flawless game for the Wildcats, turning in a career-performance with a game-high 24 points on a deadeye 10-for-13 from the field. The diminutive second-year guard was almost unstoppable as he weaved his way in between the menacing Nittany Lion front line, which includes the 6-foot-7 Avery Barnes – ranked first in the NEAC in blocks and second in rebounds behind only his 6-foot-5 teammate and last year's NEAC Player of the Year Mike Marvin.
Drake connected on 4 of his 6 three-point attempts, and also dished out 6 assists, second only to SUNYIT point guard Hodge, who joined Drake in the backcourt with a fantastic game of his own that included 13 ponits, a team-high 8 rebounds, 7 assists, and 3 steals.
All told, five SUNYIT players scored in double-figures, with Malcolm Jones (Syracuse, N.Y. / Fowler) having what would have been a quiet 21-point performance on 9-of-11 from the field, were it not for a thunderous jam on a fastbreak in the second half to give SUNYIT a 90-69 lead with 6:55 to play.
Finally for the Wildcats, Alonzo Grainger (Syracuse, N.Y. / Liverpool) continued to put up points off the bench, netting 17 in his 14 minutes of play.
The Wildcats did a good job of containing the aggressive Marvin in the second half. The conference's leading scorer and rebounder with averages of 22.1 ppg and 12.3 rbg, the junior still finished with a double-double of 21 points and 13 rebounds but was held to only 6 points and 2 boards in the second half.
Late in the second half the Wildcats were able to rest their starters due to solid play from reserves Maurice Holden (Brooklyn, N.Y. / Snow Hill), Eric Corcoran (Holland Patent, N.Y.), Devin Muha (Walworth, N.Y. / Gananda), Thomas Lucas (Buffalo, N.Y. / Tapestry), and Michael Aiello (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / Baker).
In particular, Aiello knocked down his only three-point attempt of the night on an assist from Holden, and buried a pair of free throws later to finish with 5 points, and Muha was able to grab 3 offensive rebounds in just a few minutes of work.
The Wildcats' 112 points were just 10 shy of the all-time SUNYIT record of 122 points, set back in the 1983-84 season in a game against Bard College and later tied in a game versus Vassar during the 1988-89 season.
The Wildcats will take a break from conference action to host local rival Hamilton College on Tuesday night. The men will play the first game of a doubleheader with the women's teams, and that game is set to start at 6:00 pm at the Campus Center Gymnasium.
