CLEVELAND, Ohio – Clifton Lyerly and Hamed Shamseldin combined for 59 points in the Golden Eagles season opener to help The College at Brockport men's basketball team kick off their 2016-2017 season with a 84-71 win, against a tough Hampden-Sydney College.
 
Brockport (1-0) was led by Lyerly, who had quite the stat line. The senior shot 11-of-21 from the field, posted 30-points grabbed six rebounds, six steals and dished out an assist in the win. Shamseldin also notched a solid 19-points, with three assists and three boards. The Tigers fall to 1-1 on the young season.
 
After finding themselves in a hole initially, the Green and Gold worked to claim the lead, and did so at the 16:38 mark following a Lyerly old-fashioned three point play that lifted Brockport 7-5, an advantage they would not relinquish.
 
The Golden Eagles saw their lead hit double-digits by the 8:41 mark, following a 13-2 run that pushed the lead to 26-14.  The Brockport offensive spurt saw a pair of buckets from Lyerly, a layup and trey from Shamseldin and a pair of free throws from Justin Summers.
 
Brockport kept their distance, flirting with a nearly 20-point lead after a Summers free-throw made the count 47-29 with just over 40 seconds to play. The Tigers worked in a score before the close of the half, as head coach Greg Dunne's squad took a 47-31 lead into the break.
 
A 7-2 Lyerly run to open the second half gave the Golden Eagles the 20-point plus lead they were working for, when following a pair of jumpers and a deep ball, Brockport posted a 54-33 lead.
 
Brockport worked to hold off Hampden-Sydney, but saw an 8-0 run from the Tigers turn their double-digit lead into just nine with 10:24 to play in regulation. The Golden Eagles didn't let Hampden-Sydney get comfortable, and after a Michael O'Hara free throw and a Shamseldin jumper, the Green and Gold posted a 75-60 lead with 6:25 to play.
 
The Golden Eagle defense held strong, while the offense continued to produce, and a Lyerly dunk put the finishing touches on the 84-71 Brockport win.
 
Dwanye Daniel and Justin Summers each added seven points, with four and two rebounds respectively. Malick Sylla chipped in six points in his collegiate debut, shooting 2-of-4 from beyond the arc.
 
Brockport forced 29 Tiger turnovers, which they turned into 28 points and outmatched Hampden-Sydney in the paint, 42-38. The Green and Gold bench was active, contributing 29 points in the outing. As a team, Brockport shot 41.4 percent (29-of-70) from the field, a buried six-triples.
 
The Golden Eagles will play in the championship game of the Stephanie Tubbs Jones Men's Basketball Tournament tomorrow, Nov. 19, where they will face the winners of Case Western Reserve University and Trinity University at 4 pm.
 
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.