Cleveland, OH – On Friday, the SUNY Brockport men's basketball team defeated SUNY Canton, 98-70, in the season opener on day one of the Bill Sudeck Tournament. Brockport starts the season 1-0 and will face the host school Case Western Reserve University at 2pm in the tournament championship game.
 
Zachary Rice led Brockport's group of five double-digit scorers in the contest. Rice had a game-high 21 points, doing most of his damage from long range (5-12 3pt). The junior also led the team with nine rebounds to go with four steals.
 
Alex Tavarez had 16 points, five boards, and four assists in 24 minutes off the bench. Mekhi Beckett scored an efficient 11 for Brockport in just 12 minutes of action.
 
Colby Jordan starts his senior season in double figures with 10 points, going 2-for-2 from deep. Classmate Milo Scheve followed suit with 10 points, coming up with four steals on the defensive side of the action.
 
Both teams battled in a tight showing to start the game, playing to a 21-21 tie through the first 10 minutes. However, the Golden Eagles outscored Canton 26-13 to close out the first half. They would earn a 47-34 advantage going into halftime.
 
Canton was not given much of an opportunity to close the gap, with Brockport extending its lead to 20 points early in the second half. With a comfortable 20-point lead, some new faces were able to record their first career collegiate points.
 
Emilio Nabli, Joseph Puccio, Miles Johnson, and Cole Harding all scored two points in their first game at the college level. Brockport benefitted from 17-for-20 shooting at the foul line and nine makes from downtown compared to just two from Canton. The boys also took care of the ball, committing 12 fewer turnovers than Canton.
 
The Golden Eagles will now move forward to play Case Western Reserve University at 2pm on Saturday in the Bill Sudeck Tournament Championship Game.