READING, Pa. – The SUNYIT Men's Basketball Team (11-5, 6-3 NEAC) poured in 109 points on the road Friday night, hitting 60% of their shots overall and 63% from behind-the-arc to take the win. Six Wildcats scored in double-figures, with three scoring 20 or more.
SUNYIT had a number of impressive offensive performances. Ryan James (Saratoga Springs, N.Y. / Saratoga Springs) led with 23 points, making a team-high 5 three-pointers while hitting on 8-of-14 overall.
Freshman big-man Sallo Fofana (Bronx, N.Y. / George Washington) was right behind James, scoring 22 points while connecting on a perfect 8-for-8 from the field. Fofana also hit 6-of-8 from the free throw line, and pulled down a team-high 9 rebounds in his 30 minutes of work.
There was little suspense in the game, as the Wildcats led 59-45 at the half and maintained a double-digit lead for the majority of the second half on the way to a 16-point win.
In addition to the performances by Fofana and James, the Wildcats were aided by an excellent game from point guard Maverick Hodge (Bronx, N.Y. / Samuel Gompers). Hodge scored just 10 points on the night, but matched his season-high with 10 assists while also swiping 4 steals. Alexander Drake (West Sand Lake, N.Y. / Lansingburgh) also had a good night distributing the ball, tallying a season-high 8 assists while scoring 15 points on the game.
In a night with almost too many scorers to name, Malcolm Jones (Syracuse, N.Y. / Fowler) was also hitting on all cylinders, scoring 20 points on 10-of-15 shooting.
On the other bench, the Nittany Lions didn't fare too poorly, at least on the offensive end. The home team knocked down 52% of their shots and went 10-for-18 from three-point range. On any other night it might have been enough to win, but the hot-shooting Wildcats outperformed Penn St.-Berks in almost every offensive category.
The Wildcats will continue their southern swing tomorrow as they head to Lancaster Bible College. The Chargers are having one of their best seasons since joining the NEAC, and are currently tops in the conference with an 8-1 NEAC record. Game time is slated for 1:00 pm.