Brockport, NY – After a challenging home stretch, the SUNY Brockport men's basketball team is packing their bags for a pivotal week of Empire 8 competition. The Golden Eagles will spend the week on the road, beginning with a trip to Keuka Park on Tuesday, January 13th to face Keuka College at 5 p.m. The road swing continues this weekend in Utica, NY, with a Friday night clash against the Utica Pioneers at 7:30 p.m., followed by a Empire 8 Tournament rematch against SUNY Poly on Saturday at 4 p.m.
The Rewind
The Golden Eagles (5-7, 1-2 E8) are looking to bounce back after a 79-62 setback against Nazareth University this past Saturday. Despite a cold shooting afternoon where the Green and Gold struggled to find their rhythm from the perimeter, Brockport dominated the turnover margin, surrendering the rock only eight times while forcing 14 from the Golden Flyers.
Jacob Oka was a titan in the paint, fueling the offense with a 22-point performance fueled by aggressive rim-running that earned him 13 free-throw attempts.
Pharell Aybar and
Camron Dyer provided double-digit support, while the squad showed major improvement at the "charity stripe," shooting a perfect 100% (9-9) in the second half. While the defensive unit managed seven steals, they will look to tighten up their transition defense as they head into a busy three-game road slate.
Scouting The Wolves
Brockport heads to Keuka College boasting a perfect 5-0 record against the Wolves dating back to 2004. The Golden Eagles dominated the last meeting at The Nest on January 31st of last year, cruising to an 88-57 victory. However, this year's Keuka squad features a dangerous offensive weapon in the reigning Empire 8 Player of the Week, Lamar Lovelace. He is coming off a historic performance where he dropped 41 points, a Keuka College program record in their 105-100 victory over Russell Sage.
Clash with the Pioneers
On Friday night, the Golden Eagles travel to Utica, NY, for just the second-ever meeting between these two programs. Utica University enters the matchup currently sitting at 9-3 overall with a 2-1 mark in Empire 8 play. Brockport holds a 1-0 all-time advantage over the Pioneers following last season's Empire 8 opener, a nail-biting 70-68 win that came down to the final possessions.
Postseason Rematch: SUNY Poly
The road trip concludes with a Empire 8 Conference Tournament Semifinal rematch against SUNY Poly, who enters the week as one of the hottest teams in the conference. The Wildcats currently stand at 10-3 overall (3-0 E8) and are riding a dominant seven-game win streak, most recently dispatching Houghton University in a 76-51 victory on Saturday. The Golden Eagles will look to avenge that playoff exit and halt the Wildcats' momentum in a clash between the two programs.
Up Next: Following the three-game road stretch, the Golden Eagles will continue their travels. Brockport will head to Houghton University on Friday, January 23rd, with tip-off scheduled for 7:30 p.m.
