BROCKPORT, N.Y.—The College at Brockport men's basketball team put together an incredible display of grit and grind against an excellent Plattsburgh State unit that is ranked No. 10 in the latest D3Hoops.com Top 25 poll. Despite a half-time deficit, the Golden Eagles were persistent in executing their game plan and finished on top, 79-78.
Brockport moves to 4-3 on the year with the win and 2-1 in State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) play. The Cardinals were handed their first loss of the season as they drop to 7-1 overall and 2-1 in conference.
The Green and Gold got off to a rocky start, falling behind 19-9 at the 12:25 mark in the first half. However, a 14-6 run cut the deficit and it all started with a pair of layups by
Justin Summers that brought the score to 23-17 with 10:33 on the clock.
Danny Ashley nailed a three-pointer that was followed by another Summers layup making the score 25-23 in favor of the opposition. The Cardinals tried to establish some breathing room, but a three by
Josh Nelson and back-to-back layups by
Devante Hagins, brought the count to a manageable 42-37 at the half.
Brockport came out firing on all cylinders in the first 7:30 of the second half, using a 22-4 run to create a 13-point lead. The spree started with another three-pointer by Nelson that was then followed up by a Hagins fast break layup to tie things up at 42-42. After both teams scored a bucket, the Golden Eagles scored nine straight points thanks to a
Chris Atkinson triple, a pair of Summers free-throws and layups by
Tyler Collins and Hagins. Following a Cardinals bucket, Atkinson nailed two more shots from behind the arc to set the score at 59-46 with 12:30 to play. However, Plattsburgh would not go down without a fight.
The Green and Gold did their best to hold back the opposition, but the talented unit eventually claimed a two point lead. Atkinson had an answer with a layup to even up the score before another pair of free-throw makes by Summers gave Brockport the advantage once again. Both units proceeded to trade conversions at the charity stripe, including four straight, clutch free-throws by Collins for the Golden Eagles. Suddenly, with 27 seconds left and a 78-78 tie game, head coach
Greg Dunne called a timeout to draw up, potentially, the final play of the game.
Out of the time out, the ball was inbounded to Atkinson who handed the ball off to Collins. The senior guard watched the clock wind down as he awaited the high pick by Summers. Collins drove the lane, but could not convert, however Summers was there waiting and grabbed the offensive board. The junior forward immediately went up and drew a foul with one second left. Summers nailed the game winning free-throw and the team held on for the win 79-78.
Summers led the way with 21 points and 14 rebounds, while sinking 9-of-12 from the free-throw line. Collins impressed at the charity stripe as well, making 10-of-11 on his way to 15 points, five rebounds and three steals. Hagins continues to impress as well as he scored 15 points of his own, while grabbing 12 rebounds and blocking three shots.
Up next for Brockport is another SUNYAC battle against SUNY Potsdam on Saturday, Dec. 7 with a scheduled start time of 4 p.m.
Be sure to stay up to date on all your Golden Eagle news, scores, and awards by following @BportAthletics on Twitter and by liking the "Brockport Golden Eagles" Facebook page.
