UTICA, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team defeated SUNY Delhi 72-62 on Saturday afternoon. It was senior day for the Wildcats, who celebrated manager Bobby Menz, forward Josh Ernst, and guard LJ Randle. Ernst and Randle represented the seniors well, scoring 20 points and grabbing 16 rebounds. With the win, the Wildcats move to 16-9 on the season and 9-3 in North Atlantic Conference play. The Wildcats will head to SUNY Morrisville on Friday as they take on SUNY Cobleskill in the first round of the North Atlantic Conference tournament. 

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The Broncos took the first lead on Saturday afternoon and held it for the first 5 minutes before Dylan Ernst made a three-pointer with 14:48 to play to give the Wildcats a 9-7 lead. Both teams would continue to exchange blows for the remainder of the half, with both teams doing a good job of getting to the basket for layups. Cheickne Toure and Dylan Ernst would score the final points of the half for the Wildcats, who would take a 33-31 lead into halftime.

In the second half, the Broncos would refuse to go away, taking their first lead of the half with 18:15 to play on a jump shot from Marven Louissaint to give them a 35-34 lead. With 14:26 to play, the Wildcats would begin to give themselves breathing room on two Anthony Rose baskets and a Cheickne Toure three-pointer to give the Wildcats a 50-39 lead. The Broncos would cut the lead to 3 with 4:22 to play, but key free throws and another Toure three-pointer would put the Wildcats back out in front, and they would hold on for the 72-62 victory. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Toure, Ernst, and Rose would all finish in double digits for the Wildcats, with LJ Randle grabbing a game-high 10 rebounds.

• Marvin Louissant led all scorers with 29 points.

UP NEXT: 

The Wildcats will be back in action on Friday, February 16th as they head to SUNY Morrisville to take on SUNY Cobleskill in the first round of the NAC Tournament. The game is scheduled to tip at 7:30 PM.