MORRISVILLE, N.Y. - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team took down Lancaster Bible in the NEAC Semi-final game on Saturday. The Wildcats and the Chargers battled hard for a full 40 minutes. The lead changed hands five times in the game. A slight edge down the stretch for the Wildcats was ultimately what sealed the deal, giving the Wildcats their first shot at a Conference Championship since the 2009-10 season when the Wildcats made it to the sweet 16 of the NCAA Tournament.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

Three point shooting was a major advantage for the Wildcats in the game. SUNY Poly knocked down seven three pointers compared to just three for Lancaster Bible. The Wildcats also shot better as a whole from the field, shooting 45.8% compared to the Chargers 40.3%. The Wildcats played solid defense, recording six blocks and seven steals to force 13 turnovers. The sensational duo of Redell Freeman (Rochester, N.Y.) and Josh Gregory (Whitesboro, N.Y.) really helped the Wildcats earn the win. The two players accounted for 42 of the Wildcats 67 points. The Lancaster attack, on the other hand, was one dimensional. Quentin Davis was their leading scorer with 32 points, but the next highest point scorer for Lancaster had just eight.

NOTABLES: 

• Josh Gregory had yet another double-double for the Wildcats. The sophomore had 21 points and a game high 11 rebounds. His 11 rebounds brought his season total to 242, cracking the top 10 for best rebounding seasons in SUNY Poly history.  
• Redell Freeman scored 21 points, had two assists, a steal, and two rebounds in the game. He shot 70% from the field and had just one missed three pointer out of the five that he took.
• Big man Jesse O'Dell (Rotterdam, N.Y.) had nine points in the win. Five of his nine points came from the charity stripe where he went five for seven.
• Quentin Davis finished up his career at Lancaster Bible with an offensive outburst. He had a game high 32 points, shooting 57% from the field, and going six for eight from the free throw line. He was a rebound shy of a double-double.
• The Chargers next best scorer was Britton Beachy who had eight points, a game high seven assists, and six rebounds.

UP NEXT:

The Wildcats will play #1 Morrisville State in the NEAC Championship on Sunday. The Mustangs carved their path to the championship game with a blowout win in the semi-final game over Penn State Abington 80-54. The game is scheduled for a 2:00 PM tip-off at Morrisville's STUAC Gymnasium.

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SUNY Polytechnic Institute (SUNY Poly) is New York's globally recognized, high-tech educational ecosystem, formed from the merger of the SUNY College of Nanoscale Science and Engineering and SUNY Institute of Technology. SUNY Poly offers undergraduate and graduate degrees in the emerging disciplines of nanoscience and nanoengineering, as well as cutting-edge nanobioscience and nanoeconomics programs at its Albany location 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, mathematics, humanities, and social sciences at its Utica/Rome location. 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 over 300 corporate partners since its inception. For information visit www.sunypoly.edu.