BROCKPORT, NY – In a championship battle that lived up to the billing, the SUNY Brockport men's basketball team saw its postseason run come to an end, falling 83-80 to Keuka College on Saturday afternoon. Despite a resilient offensive performance and a late-game surge, the Golden Eagles were unable to overcome a strong Keuka effort in a contest that featured seven lead changes and three ties.

How It Happened

Both teams came out swinging in a high-octane first half where neither side shot less than 45%. Keuka jumped out to an early 9-4 lead, but the Golden Eagles remained composed. Pharell Aybar sparked the initial energy for the Green and Gold, draining a triple to open the scoring. However, Keuka's Lamar Lovelace and Akinlana Popoola found their rhythm early, pushing the Wolves to a 37-23 lead with 4:58 remaining in the half. Brockport responded with a gritty 15-5 run to close the period, fueled by Camron Dyer's 9 points off the bench and a late Ajani Flemming three-pointer, cutting the deficit to 42-38 at the break.

The second half began with an explosion that brought the home crowd to its feet. Ajani Flemming ignited a personal scoring run, draining back-to-back threes to help Brockport reclaim its first lead since the opening minutes of the game.

The contest turned into a back-and-forth heavyweight bout down the stretch. Trailing 61-49, Brockport refused to go away. Jacob Oka and Omar White dominated the paint to pull the Golden Eagles back within striking distance. With 1:26 remaining and Brockport trailing by five, the fearless Pharell Aybar drained a clutch three-pointer to make it 81-79, keeping the championship hopes alive in front of a capacity crowd. Oka split a pair of free throws to make it a one-point game with 39 seconds left, and Keuka followed with a pair of free throws following a shooting foul. Brockport had one final look, but a desperate three-point attempt at the buzzer rimmed out, sealing the result for Keuka.

Leading Contributors

Brockport's offense was firing on all cylinders, shooting 47.5% from the field and an impressive 45.8% from deep. The Golden Eagles were led by four double-digit scorers:

• Ajani Flemming set the tone from the perimeter, leading all Brockport scorers with a team-high 19 points. He was a constant threat from deep, accounting for nearly all of his scoring with a blistering 6-of-12 (50%) performance from three-point range in 35 minutes of action.
• Pharell Aybar served as the engine of the Golden Eagles' offense, turning in a versatile 18 points on 7-of-13 shooting from the floor. Beyond his scoring, he showcased his vision by dishing out a game-high six assists and grabbing five rebounds, while his late-game three-pointer kept the comeback hopes alive in The Vlog.
• Jacob Oka was a relentless force in the paint, battling his way to 15 points and a team-high seven rebounds. He proved to be a primary playmaker as well, matching Aybar with six assists and showing defensive tenacity with two steals before fouling out in the closing seconds.
• Omar White provided hyper-efficient production, netting 12 points on an impressive 5-of-7 (71.4%) shooting night. He was active across the stat sheet, securing five rebounds and leading the defensive effort with a team-high three steals.
• Rounding out the effort, Camron Dyer provided spark off the bench with nine points and a perfect 3-of-3 mark from the charity stripe, while Cameron Pownall anchored the interior defense with a game-high three blocks, three points, and five rebounds.

A Season to Remember

While the loss marks a somber end to the campaign, the 2025-26 season will be remembered as a great turnaround with the squad. After sitting in the bottom three of the conference standings earlier in the year, the Golden Eagles caught fire when it mattered most. Brockport climbed all the way to the No. 5 seed and battled their way to the Empire 8 Championship Final on the back of a blistering nine-game win streak. Though they fell just three points short of the title, the grit and experience gained during this championship run provide a massive foundation for the squad to build upon heading into next season.