MARCY N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team was able to complete a weekend sweep of NEAC opponents Wells and Keuka this weekend in convincing fashion. On Saturday, the team defeated Wells 79-67 and took down Keuka 59-53 on Sunday. The wins came in large part to the aggressive play of the defense, which seemed to have a control over the opposing offenses for the majority of both contests. With the wins, the Wildcats improve their record to 3-4 and start out their conference journey 2-0.
On Saturday the Wildcats squared up with the Wells College Express. The Express seemed to get off to a strong start in the first half thanks to a 21 point half from their freshman guard Rich Ross, however the rest of the Express offense sputtered as no other scorers got over the two point mark in the first half. The Wildcats would earn the edge in the half thanks to 13 points from both Quayshaun Mitchell (Harlem, N.Y. / HS of Graphics Communication Arts) and Terrynce Wilson (Bronx, N.Y. / South Bronx HS) in the half. The duo sank 6 three point shots in the half to lead the way to their highest scoring half of the season with 45 points.
In the second half, the Wildcats were able to keep Ross in check, allowing him to only score three more points in the game. SUNY Poly played aggressively and watched their lead grow to 23 points with just six minutes remaining in the game. The Wildcats finished the game having never given up the lead. Wilson finished with 20 points, three steals, four rebounds, and 3 assists in 26 minutes of play. He shot an impressive 70% from the floor. Mitchell finished up with 15 points in his 24 minutes of action. Joseph Ojo (Staten Island, N.Y. / CSI HS) made his mark in the game. He dished out a season high seven assists and scored nine points in the game.
The Wildcats team had the edge in the statistical matchup. They shot 7% better from the field, 17% better from 3-point land, doubled the assist total of the Express (18-9), and scored 27 points off of turnovers; 14 more than Wells. The win gave SUNY Poly a 1-0 start to conference play and gave Wells their second NEAC loss in as many games.
The success of Saturdays win spilled over into Sunday when the Wildcats took on Keuka. The story of the day was freshman Malik Johnson (Highland Falls, N.Y. / James I. O'Neil HS) who has been the Wildcats strongest defender so far this season. He amassed an impressive seven steals and two blocks in the game. He seemed to contest every play that happened around him, frustrating and disturbing the Keuka offense. Johnson also scored 13 points and grabbed six rebounds for the Wildcats.
Terrynce Wilson had a great all around day, quietly going about securing his first double-double as a Wildcat. He scored 18 points and grabbed 10 rebounds on the day.
For Keuka, Casey Williams scored 14 points but ran into foul trouble early, keeping the prolific scorer and defender on the bench for more minutes than the Wolfpack would have liked.
The Wildcats had the statistical advantage in the matchup. They shot better from the field (38%-33%) shot better from beyond the arc (33%-0%), had more assists (6-1), fewer turnovers (19-23), more steals (12-7), and more blocks (6-2)
The win was SUNY Poly's second NEAC Conference win of the season and their third win overall. Their record now stands at 3-4. The team will be back in action on Saturday, December 12th when they host R.I.T.. The game is scheduled for a 2:00 tip off. Live stats and video will be available HERE
