MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The season did not end quite as planned for the SUNY Poly men's basketball team, but what a ride it was. This season was filled with ups and downs for the Wildcats, none higher than the Wildcats nine game winning streak that got them to the NEAC Championship Game. The Wildcats lost to Morrisville 91-73 in Sunday's Championship game, but the 'Cats represented themselves and SUNY Poly with tremendous heart and hard work to end their season. SUNY Poly ends their season with a 15-13 overall record. They went 10-6 In NEAC play.

THE GAME:

SUNY Poly stuck right with the #1 team in the NEAC through the first half. The Wildcats shot 41% in the first and forced seven Mustang turnovers. Redell Freeman (Rochester, N.Y.) had a huge first half. He carried the offensive load, scoring 17 of the Wildcats 40 points. Josh Gregory (Whitesboro, N.Y.) added nine in the half, and Peyton Griffiths (Milford, N.Y.) had six. The Wildcats lost steam in the second. The shooting percentage dropped, and the Wildcats were outscored 26-13 in the first 10 minutes of the half, all but sealing their fate. Senior Redell Freeman needed 32 points to reach 1,000 in two seasons as a Wildcats entering the game. He scored exactly 32, making him the seventh member of the 1,000 point club at SUNY Poly.

NOTABLES:

• Redell Freeman concluded his collegiate basketball career on a high note. The senior drained 32 points, joining the 1,000 point club at SUNY Poly. He shot 48% in the game and had five assists, a steal, and a rebound. He concludes his Wildcat career with his name in the record books. He is 2^nd all-time with 261 assists, 5^th all-time with 138 three pointers made, 7^th all-time with 1,000 points, and 7^th all-time with 35.6 minutes played per game. Redell had an outstanding two year career at SUNY Poly and will be remembered as one of the best point guards in Wildcat history.
• Josh Gregory scored 14 points in the game to round out his sophomore season. Gregory also had seven rebounds, a block, a steal, and an assist. This season has been a memorable one for Gregory and the Wildcats. Josh's 208 defensive rebounds rank second for a single season in SUYN Poly history. He also moved into the top 10 this season reaching 75 career blocks which is seventh best all-time. Gregory was .4 rebounds away from averaging a double-double this season. He scored 21.1 points and had 9.6 rebounds per game this year.
• Peyton Griffiths scored six points and had two steals in the game. Griffiths ends his career with 835 points, 278 rebounds, 99 steals, 18 blocks, and 179 assists in four seasons. He averaged 8.8 points and three rebounds per game in 95 games played. Griffiths finishes his tenure at SUNY Poly third all-time with 81 games started, sixth all-time with 2475 minutes played, and ninth all-time with 209 free-throws made in his career.
• Malik Johnson (Highland Falls, N.Y.) had two points, seven rebounds, and an assist in his last game as a Wildcat. The senior finishes his career ranked 2^nd all-time with 88 games started, second all-time with 2986 minutes played, third all-time with 89 blocked shots, ninth all-time with 232 assists, and 10^th all-time with 309 defensive rebounds. Johnson is also now sixth all-time in single season free-thrown percentage after he shot .853 from the charity stripe this season. Malik scored a total of 630 points, had 98 steals, 89 blocks, and 408 rebounds in his career.
• The Mustangs had four players with 18 or more points in the game. Brison Hall scored 18, Kevin Dennis and Justin Mitchell scored 19, and Lamel Faison had a team high 20 points. Dennis recorded a double-double with 14 rebounds. Faison had a game high nine assists in the game.

A QUOTE FROM COACH SCHOENER:

"The Toughness and mental strength that our guys showed this season is something that I am extremely proud of. Hopefully we can build off of our great second semester this season and emerge as an even better version of the SUNY Poly Wildcats next year."

THE WRAP-UP:

The Wildcats will graduate five seniors from this year's team. Redell Freeman, Peyton Griffiths, Malik Johnson, Khrys Ramirez (Brooklyn, N.Y.), and Devin Turrell (Cicero, N.Y.) will all be graduating from SUNY Poly. These are four outstanding young men who brought fight and intensity to this year's team and all others that they have been a part of at SUNY Poly. They are a huge part of why this team was able to come back from a tough start to the season and rattle off nine straight wins to reach the NEAC Championship. While they may have not achieved their ultimate goal, they gave it all they had and we as a department could not be prouder of them. They will be Wildcats for life!

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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.