WATERVILLE, MAINE - The SUNY Poly men's basketball team beat Thomas College 69-62 on Saturday afternoon. Four Wildcats scored in double figures en route to the North Atlantic Conference win. With the win, the Wildcats move to 7-8 on the season and 2-3 in conference play. With the loss, the Terriers move to 2-9 on the season and 0-3 in conference play.

HOW IT HAPPENED:

The first half would see nine total lead changes, with each team going on significant runs in the back-and-forth half. The Terriers would go on their run first, scoring 11 straight points to take an 18-9 lead with 12:46 to go in the first half. The Wildcats would respond, however, going on a 19-9 run over the next nine seven minutes to take a 28-27 lead. Mitch Kernizan would prove to be a spark on the run, scoring eight of the 19 points to give the Wildcats back the lead. The Terriers would refuse to go away after the run, however, as the two teams would trade leads four more times before the half was over. Two Cheickne Toure free throws with 1:27 in the half would conclude the scoring in the first half, and the Wildcats would take a 35-31 lead going into halftime

The Terriers would start the second half on a 10-0 run over the first three minutes to take a 41-35 lead. After the run, the second half would prove to be all Levi Spina, who tied his career high with 18 points. Spina would score all 18 of his points in the second half to pace the Wildcats' victory. The Wildcats would get back the lead and never look back, as they held on for the 69-62 victory. Spina ended up scoring from all over the floor; knocking down threes, making layups, and hitting foul shots. He was helped by strong performances from LJ Randle, Cheickne Toure, and Mitch Kernizan, who all scored in double digits. 

NOTABLE PERFORMANCES:

• Jesse O'Dell grabbed 12 rebounds to lead all players.

• Parker Desjardins would lead the Terriers with 13 points.

• Levi Spina tied his career high with 18 points to lead all scorers.

UP NEXT: 

The Wildcats will be back in action on Friday, January 13th against Husson University for a home North Atlantic Conference game. The game will tip-off at 7:30 PM.