GENEVA, N.Y. - The College at Brockport men's basketball team opened the first round of the Wendy's Classic on Wednesday against the University of Rochester, and just missed, falling 65-59.

The Golden Eagles fall to 2-1 on the young season, while the Yellow Jackets move to 5-2 on the year.

The Brockport defense played a big role in the first half, holding the Yellow Jackets to a mere four points in the opening 10 minutes of play. The Brockport offense was propelled by Hamed Shamseldin, who netted seven points in the opening minutes of play, including a trey and two steal and scores.

By the 13:23 mark, the Golden Eagles pushed out to a 14-4 lead, after a Patrick Modzelewski three and a Shamseldin fast-break bucket.

The Golden Eagles fell behind for the first time in the contest at the 5:44 mark when a Yellow Jacket connected on a deep ball to take a 15-14 advantage. The Golden Eagles offense ran cold until the 4:04 mark when Clifton Lyerly drew the foul on a layup, and with the made free-throw converted on the old-fashioned three point play to knot the contest at 17-17.

Lyerly hit repeat, as on the next offensive possession he worked into the lane again, drawing the foul and converting at the free-throw line for the three-point play and the Golden Eagle lead at 20-19.

The Golden Eagles extended their lead with the help of the charity stripe, when Cordell Torres and Shamseldin connected on back-to-back trips to give Brockport a 24-21 lead, a score that would stand into the halftime break.

At the midway point, Shamseldin lead all scorers with nine points while picking up three rebounds and two steals. Lyerly added eight points to the Brockport totals, with five boards. The Golden Eagles shot 29.6 percent from the floor in the opening half, with a perfect 6-6 from the line.

The footrace continued in the second half, with back and fourth action through the opening minutes of play. A 9-2 run from the Yellow Jackets helped them regain the lead, as Brockport fell behind 40-32 with 13 minutes to play.

The Golden Eagles were able to cut the deficit to 45-34 when David Clark fought for the tip-in, at the 12:34 mark. The Brockport deficit grew to double digits, but a smooth jumper in the lane from Shamseldin at the 7:45 mark cut the UR lead back to single digits at 51-43.

Shamseldin kept the offensive production coming, when he knocked down a pair of buckets, a layup and a deep ball, to pull the Golden Eagles within five at 55-50 with 5:22 to play.

The Golden Eagles continued to grind, but struggled to cut into the Yellow Jacket lead. A pair of Lyerly free throws at the 2:20 mark edged Brockport within four, at 58-54.

The Golden Eagles continued to work, and an old-fashioned three-point play by Olusola Adeniran pulled Brockport within one with just over a minute to play. A forced turnover by the Brockport defense gave the Golden Eagles an opportunity to regain the lead, but the opportunity slipped through their hands with a turnover of their own.

With Brockport forced to foul, the Rochester team was sound from the free throw line, as the Golden Eagles eventually fell 65-59.

The Brockport offense was led by Shamseldin, who netted 20 points and pulled down five rebounds. Lyerly finished with 13 points, and eight rebounds. Adeniran and Pat Modselewski each notched seven points apiece, with Ryan McCarthy and Matthew Smith each scoring four. The Golden Eagles posted 34.9 percent shooting from the floor, with a 100 percent effort from the charity stripe at 11-11.

Brockport will be back in action in the second round of the Wendy's Classic on Dec. 4, when they take St. John Fisher College at Roberts Wesleyan College. Be sure to stay up to date on all your Golden Eagle scores and awards by following @BportAthletics on Twitter and by liking the "Brockport Golden Eagles" Facebook page.