UTICA, N.Y. – The SUNY Polytechnic Men's Basketball Team (0-2) fell in overtime to local rival Utica College (2-2) on Tuesday afternoon, 93-88. The Pioneers tied the game late in regulation on a pair of free throws, then survived overtime despite 7 points from senior Wildcat point guard Maverick Hodge (Bronx, N.Y. / Samuel Gompers), who finished the game with a career-high 33 points.
Utica jumped out to a 12-4 lead to start the game, and the Wildcats trailed by three scores or more for much of the first half. Late in the half Hodge started to heat up, and the Wildcats followed suit. The rangy floor general made an acrobatic left-handed layup on a fast break, then followed it up with a nifty spin-and-pivot move on the next possession to pull the visitors to within three, down 23-20 with 6:34 remaining in the half.
The 'Cats then tied the game on a Hodge three-pointer, his 7th straight point. A steal and a score for freshman Ryan McCarthy (Camden, N.Y. / Camden) gave SUNY Poly its first lead, though it was negated moments later on a drive by the speedy Pioneer point guard Aaron Nevins. Nevins would finish with 18 points.
SUNY Poly ended the half down four, 32-28.
The Wildcats regained the lead early in the second half on a play that epitomizes the type of gritty hustle the young team is quickly becoming known for. McCarthy started things off with a diving play around midcourt to bat a loose ball forward to Hodge. Hodge drove the lane on the ensuing fastbreak; he missed the layup but junior forward Kaleel Johnson (Syracuse, N.Y. / Syr. Acad. of Science) was there to tip the rebound back against the backboard, keeping the play alive. Johnson's insistence paid off when center Tyler Taverne (Westmoreland, N.Y. / Westmoreland) cleaned up the rebound and converted the put-back for a 36-34 Wildcat lead.
After a couple lead changes, SUNY Poly regained the advantage on a three-pointer by Hodge that was nearly a four-point play (he missed the free throw). That play came at the 11:06 mark – the Wildcats would hold the lead for the next 10 minutes of game time. Nevins finally tied the game 71-71 with a made free throw (1:19).
Thomas Lucas (Buffalo, N.Y. / Tapestry) was nearly the hero for the Wildcats late in regulation, burying a corner three-pointer to give SUNY Poly a 74-71 lead with just under a minute remaining. However, the Pioneers clawed their way back, culminating in another Nevins drive with 6 seconds remaining. The point guard sank both clutch free throws to tie the game and sent it in to overtime, where the Pioneers ultimately prevailed.
Hodge submitted an all-around tremendous performance, leading all scorers with 33 points. He nailed 4-of-6 from behind the arc, and 12-of-20 overall. He also dished out a game-high 11 assists and even pulled down a team-high 7 rebounds, missing out on a triple-double by just three boards.
A long and speedy guard with impeccable ball-handling skills, Hodge was positively unguardable in the second half and overtime, slicing through the Utica defense to find either an open layup or teammate.
He was aided by Ryan McCarthy, who went 5-of-9 from three-point range and finished with 21 points. Blake Haga (Rome, N.Y. / RFA) was third in scoring for the Wildcats with 11 points on three treys.
The difference in the game ultimately came down to the free throw line. The smaller Wildcat team committed 34 fouls on the night, resulting in a whopping 52 free throw attempts for the Pioneers. By game's end 4 players had fouled out for the Wildcats, although reserves Mike Aiello (Baldwinsville, N.Y. / C.W. Baker) and John Spina (Frankfort, N.Y. / Frankfort) played some good minutes in support of the starters, including an overtime three-pointer for Aiello.
SUNY Poly will return to action this weekend at the Hamilton Invitational in nearby Clinton, N.Y. Their first game is scheduled for 7:00 pm on Saturday versus Lycoming.