HOW IT HAPPENED: Jesse O'Dell would start the Wildcats scoring off by hitting a jump shot to take an early lead over the Saxons. The Saxons and Wildcats would continue to exchange leads early in the first half, with both teams working the ball inside for the majority of their scoring. An active Wildcats defense leading to a shot clock violation from the Saxons was followed by a three-pointer from Alan Rodriguez to extend the Wildcats' lead to 18-13 just under the 8-minute mark. LJ Randle would follow suit with another three-pointer to keep the scoring going for the Wildcats and would finish the half with a team-high nine points. Elliot Bowen would finish the first half with five points for the Saxons. The Wildcats' defense would hold the Saxons to shooting 21% from the field in the first half.
Rodriguez and Randle would keep the scoring going after halftime, extending the Wildcats' lead to 38-22 at the 17-minute mark. The Wildcats would continue to build their lead throughout the second half, extending it to 61-42 with 6:45 to play. The Saxons would climb back into the game, however, going on an 18-5 run to make things interesting. A three-point shot from Mike Schmidt would cut the SUNY Poly lead to 66-60 with 2:23 left to play. Schmidt would score in bunches in the second half, including nine of his points from the foul line to keep the Saxons in the game. However, it would be Alan Rodriguez who would respond with the huge free throws with 1:42 left to make it a three-possession game at 68-60. Dylan Ernst would add a three-pointer with 1:00 left to extend the lead to 72-61. The Saxons would continue to pressure the Wildcats, cutting the lead to 75-70 with 17 seconds to play before a pair of free throws from Ernst would seal the 77-70 victory.
NOTABLE STATISTICS:
- Alan Rodriguez would lead the scoring for the Wildcats, finishing with 18 points.
- LJ Randle, Dylan Ernst, and Jesse O'Dell would also finish scoring in double-digits for the Wildcats. Randle would also finish with 11 rebounds to secure the double-double.
- Leading the scoring for the Saxons was Mike Schmidt, who would finish with the game-high 27 points. Darren Miller would also finish in double-digits for the Saxons.
UP NEXT: The Wildcats will be back in action on Tuesday, November 15th at 6:00 PM against SUNY Potsdam. The game will be held in the Campus Center on SUNY Poly's campus and will be the home opener for the Wildcats.