BROCKPORT, N.Y. – The College at Brockport men's basketball team clinched the no. 3 seed in the State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) playoffs after dismantling SUNY Cortland on Saturday, 84-65. The game was also highlighted by the accomplishment of 1,000 career points by junior forward
Justin Summers. In addition, the Green and Gold honored their four seniors prior to the start of the game for their contributions over the years.
The Golden Eagles wrap up the regular season with a 15-10 overall mark and 11-7 in conference competition. The Red Dragons drop to the no. 4 seed with a 16-9 record on the year and 10-8 in SUNYAC play.
The start of the game was a bit rocky for Brockport as they fell behind 13-2 in the first five minutes of play. Summers and
Jahidi Wallace turned it around with back-to-back three point plays to cut the deficit to seven, before a Summers dunk made the score 15-10. After both units traded buckets for a few minutes, the Green and Gold turned it on after a made layup by
Montgomery Stroman cut the deficit to two points. At the four minute mark, senior guard,
Chris Atkinson, took over the game by converting a three-point play before making consecutive buckets to give the unit a 38-34 advantage. After both teams scored, the halftime scoreboard showed 40-36 in favor of Brockport.
The adjustments made by the coaching staff during the break paid off early in the second frame. Summers recorded point number 1,000 on a three-pointer and then came down moments later to hit a baseline jumper to grow the lead to seven, but that was just the beginning.
Danny Ashley and Summers made layups to give the team a double-digit advantage before another senior,
Josh Nelson, nailed a three to continue momentum. The run continued with a
Devante Hagins dunk off of an
Antonio Alvarez assist that brought the score to 54-38 and forced an opposition timeout. The largest lead of the afternoon came on three point makes by Atkinson and
Brandon Kennedy-Gay that brought the advantage to 21. When the horn blew, Brockport had clinched the no. 3 seed by a final score of 84-65.
Summers shined in the season finale, scoring 25 points on an efficient 10-for-13 shooting from the field, while also grabbing eight rebounds and swatting away two balls. Atkinson contributed 16 points and facilitated the offense with eight assist. He also pestered the opposition as he recorded three steals. Wallace, Stroman, Hagins and Alvarez, where all over the court with each player recording five rebounds, five or more points and two or more assists.
The Golden Eagles will shift their focus to Tuesday, Feb. 19 when they host SUNY Potsdam in the SUNYAC Quarter-final. The game is set to start at 7 p.m. Brockport defeated the Bears when they played at home on Dec. 8 by a score of 78-63, but lost to them on the road on Jan. 26 78-71.
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