MARCY, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team beat Cazenovia 82-70 on Saturday afternoon in a very important North Atlantic Conference (NAC) West Division game that had seeding implications for the upcoming NAC Championship Tournament. The Wildcats were great offensively in the game, shooting 55% from the field. Before the game, the Wildcats held their annual Senior Day celebration highlighting the career accolades of the Wildcat's two seniors Jesse O'Dell and Mitch Kernizan.
AN IMPORTANT WIN:
The last time the Wildcats and Cazenovia met, Poly was beaten by three points late in the game. The Wildcats wanted revenge in the second meeting of the season on their home court and got just that. The win looks like it will have the Wildcats ranked #3 in the West Division heading into the first round of the NAC Championship Tournament. More information will be released on seeding and host sites for the first two rounds early next week. The Wildcats shot a dominant 55% from the field, shot 37% from three-point range, had a 39-28 advantage on the boards, and had a 44-36 scoring advantage in the paint. SUNY Poly led by as many as 20 points in the game.
SENIOR SPOTLIGHT:
Mitch Kernizan had a great performance in his last regular season game for the Wildcats. Kernizan matched his career high of 19 points while shooting 8-9 from the field with a 3-pointer. He also had five rebounds, two assists, and a block for his team in the win.
Jesse O'Dell had a 17-point, 10-rebound double-double in his last regular season game for SUNY Poly. He is currently fourth all-time with 606 rebounds, fifth all-time with 1,188 points, and fourth all-time with 103 blocked shots.
OTHER NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:
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Cheickne Toure led the Wildcats with 21 points in the game. He hit three 3-pointers, had a game-high seven assists, six rebounds, and an assist.
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LJ Randle filled up the stat sheet for Poly. He scored 13 points, had four rebounds, three assists, two steals, and two blocks.
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Kobe Bogart had a game-high 23 points for Cazenovia with five rebounds and an assist.
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Christian Sage had a game-high five steals, 13 points, four assists, and four rebounds for Cazenovia.
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Alan Willmes scored 10 points for Cazenovia. He was a rebound shy of a double-double.
UP NEXT:
The Wildcats will await the seeding announcement from the NAC to find out who they will be playing in the first round of the NAC Championship Tournament next weekend. The first two rounds will be held at SUNY Delhi, the #1 seed in the West Division.
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SUNY Poly is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience programs at its Albany campus, and undergraduate and graduate degrees in technology, including engineering, cybersecurity, computer science, and the engineering technologies; professional studies, including business, communication, and nursing; and arts and sciences, including natural sciences, game design, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica campus; thriving athletic, recreational, and cultural programs, events, and activities complement the campus experience. As the world's most advanced, university-driven research enterprise, SUNY Poly boasts billions of dollars in high-tech investments and hundreds of corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.