Wooster, OH – The SUNY Brockport men's basketball team wrapped up the Wooster Rotary Classic on Saturday night with a hard-fought, championship-level contest, dropping a heartbreaker to the host College of Wooster, 86-85. In a true nail-biter that came down to the final possession, the Golden Eagles showcased impressive firepower and defensive grit against Wooster.

Senior leader Zachary Rice was rightfully honored for his outstanding weekend performance, earning a spot on the All-Tournament Team.

Trailing by four points at the half (44-40), the Golden Eagles stormed out of the locker room with a massive run that instantly flipped the momentum. Brockport opened the second frame with a blistering 17-4 surge to take the lead. This explosion was fueled by a spectacular individual effort from Rice, who scored 13 points in the first four minutes of the half, including three consecutive triples from behind the arc. The high-octane run left Wooster reeling, starting the half just 1-for-8 from the field as Brockport quickly built its largest second-half lead of nine points (57-48) with 15:53 remaining.

The Green and Gold's resilience was visible throughout the game, which featured seven lead changes. Brockport's largest lead of the contest came earlier in the first half when they extended their advantage to 24 points (35-11) at the 10:02 mark.

The Golden Eagles' balanced offensive effort was led by three double-figure scorers, complemented by key contributions across the roster.

• Zachary Rice led all scorers with a game-high 24 points, hitting four three-pointers and securing seven rebounds.
• Freshman guard Ajani Flemming provided crucial scoring punch off the bench, delivering 15 points on a perfect 4-of-4 from beyond the arc. Flemming was instrumental in the first half as well, where he tallied 9 points.
• Transfer Camron Dyer was a high-impact presence, contributing 14 points on efficient 7-of-15 shooting from the field, along with three key steals.
• The bench continued its vital production, including a strong eight-point effort from Marco Evans, who was perfect from the free-throw line (4-for-4).
• Veteran forward Jacob Oka dominated the glass, pulling down a team-high nine rebounds to go with eight points, while Omar White's defensive presence was key in getting stops, racking up three steals and chipping in six points.

The contest was ultimately decided by razor-thin margins. The Golden Eagles were exceptional from the charity stripe, connecting on 83.3% (15-of-18) of their free throws, a significant improvement over their season average of roughly 60% entering the contest. This improved free-throw percentage was a major positive, but Wooster's slight edge in overall field goal percentage (46.3% to Brockport's 38.5%) and key transitions proved costly.

Brockport forced 21 Wooster turnovers, but a handful of costly Golden Eagle turnovers in the second half were quickly capitalized upon by Wooster for fast break layups—a key factor in the eventual downfall after holding an 11-point lead just inside the 12-minute mark.

Down by one with 17 seconds left on the clock, the Golden Eagles executed for a final chance at the win. After a blocked Oka layup and a contested three-point look by Rice, the final mid-range elbow pull-up jumper by Pharell Aybar narrowly missed, allowing Wooster to escape with the one-point victory.

Up Next: The Golden Eagles will return locally and continue their road stretch, traveling to Rochester, NY, to face RIT after Thanksgiving break on Tuesday, December 2nd, at 6 p.m.