NCSN MEN'S COLLEGE HOOPS

Clarkson University's Keith Murray (22) bumps off Hilbert College's Malcolm Edwards (50) on his way up to sink the layup.  (Photo by Bob LaRue)  Game Gallery

Clarkson's Dan Bisaccio penetrates to the hoop against Hilbert's Kyle Clark (from Seton Catholic in Plattsburgh).

January 5: A late turnover and a pair of free throws with less than a second left helped the University of Rochester escape with a 71-67 victory over the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team Monday night at Alumni Gymnasium. The Golden Knights saw their six-game winning streak come to an end with the loss to the Yellowjackets, and both teams saw their season marks go to 7-2. Clarkson faces another tough test on Tuesday when it travels to face Cortland State. Rochester took little time to establish itself in the paint, racing out to an 11-0 lead in the first 3:25 of the game. A timeout from Clarkson coach Adam Stockwell stopped the early rally, but the Knights had trouble cutting into the Yellowjackets’ advantage over the next few minutes. Finally, the Knights got back into the contest after dropping behind by 12 points, 22-10. Over a five-plus minute span, Clarkson went on a 14-1 run to take their only lead of the half at 6:02, thanks to eight points from senior forward Ryan Smith (Niagara Falls, NY). However, a trio of 3-pointers from the Yellowjackets, including a pair from Max Kaplan, put Rochester back up by seven. In the final minutes of the half, several free throws by Rochester pushed the lead back to 12 as the Yellowjackets went into the locker room up 40-28. Rochester’s five starters combined for 38 of the 40 first-half points, led by Mike Chmielowiec’s nine points. Nate Novosel contributed seven points and eight rebounds. For Clarkson, Smith was a perfect 4-for-4 from the field for his eight points. Four others contributed four points each. The second half was a different story for Clarkson. Though the Knights found themselves down by 18 with less than 15 minutes to go in the game, the team rallied back slowly with numerous free throws from Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) and Elson Pickering (Brooklyn, NY) as the game went to the paint. Though the margin hovered around 10 points, it wasn’t until late that Clarkson really made a push as a 3-pointer from Keith Murray (Queens, NY) cut the deficit to just three points (59-56) with 3:20 remaining. Trailing by six in the final minute, another 3-pointer from Murray cut the lead to three, and a turnover by the Yellowjackets allowed Clarkson to pull within one after a pair of free throws from George Koduah (Accra, Ghana). However, Rochester would shoot 5-for-6 from the free throw line in the final 15 seconds to hold off the Knights’ late charge and pull out the victory. For Clarkson, Brandon Linton shrugged off a sluggish first half to finish with a team-high 18 points to go along with five assists. Elson Pickering contributed 12 more, shooting 6-for-6 from the free throw line and 3-for-5 from the field. Koduah closed with nine points and 11 rebounds. The Yellowjackets were held together by their starters, as Rochester’s top five combined to score 69 of their 71 points, led by Mike Chmielowiec’s 20. Nate Novosel finished with 17 points while Mike Labanowski and Max Kaplan chipped in 14 and 10, respectively. Kaplan also had a game-high nine assists.

December 31: Senior Brian Salanger (Syracuse, NY) and sophomore Rey Jefferson (Budd Lake, NJ) each scored 17 points as the Clarkson University Men’s Basketball team cruised to an overwhelming victory over Hilbert College, 86-57, Wednesday afternoon at Alumni Gymnasium. The Golden Knights improved to 7-1 overall, matching their best eight-game start in program history (most recently 1947-48), while the Hawks fell to 2-7. Clarkson will host the University of Rochester next Monday. The Golden Knights turned the ball over three times early on in the game, but Clarkson found its scoring groove quickly with an 11-0 run from 17:37 to 15:15 in the first half to take an 11-2 lead. Six minutes later, Clarkson would go on another run, this time a 13-2 push, thanks to three-point field goals from Jefferson, Salanger, Keith Murray (Queens, NY), giving the Knights a 31-12 lead with less than eight minutes to go. From there, Clarkson continued to make its long shots and finished the half with a 47-24 edge. Clarkson shot 56.3% from beyond the 3-point arc (9-for-16), led by Salanger’s four long-range shots. He finished the half with a game-high 12 points. Jefferson, Felix Llanos (Queens, NY) and Brandon Linton (Queens, NY) each added eight points. In the second half, the Knights continued to score from the outside and pushed their lead to as many as 35 late in the half before having the final margin set at 29 points. The 29-point win was Clarkson’s largest margin of victory since the team beat Paul Smith’s by 30 to start the 2005-06 season, a stretch of 86 games. The Knights’ 86 points were the most scored in a game by Clarkson in a span of 107 games, falling one point short of their total in a game against St. Lawrence in 2004-05. Salanger added four steals to his 17 points. Linton also contributed five assists and four steals with his 12 points, and Llanos finished with 11 points. Ryan Smith (Niagara Falls, NY) added 11 rebounds. Nick Piccone led Hilbert with 15 points, shooting 6-for-10 from the floor. Clarkson out rebounded the Hawks 45-30 and made 13 steals in the contest.

  Clarkson University's Keith Murray takes a run at the basket, banging into SUNY Potsdam's Brandon Graney (35) under the hoop.  Guards Brian Salanger and Brandon Linton each scored a team-high 14 points as Clarkson held off a spirited late run by Potsdam to win 64-56.  (Bob LaRue photo)  Game Gallery

Clarkson's Brandon Linton (11) just misses getting a piece of the shot lofted by SUNY Potsdam's Serge Clement (12).
  

St. Lawrence University's Garrett Sharlow (32) from Massena, NY, tries to get off the inside shot around the outreached arm of SUNY Potsdam's Gregory Lothridge (44) and Alvin Dike (22).  The Bears captured an early 13-point lead, but the Saints rolled back to lead 39-38 at the half.  St. Lawrence won the game 90-84.  (Bob LaRue photo)  Game Gallery

The Saints went tough to the boards against a stingy Potsdam defense in the second quarter to capture the lead after trailing by as much as 13 points in the first half.

January 3: Five members of the St. Lawrence University men’s basketball team scored in the double digits while senior captain Tom Wopperer posted a perfect first half to help guide the Saints to a 90-79 win over Heidelberg Saturday afternoon in the consolation game of the 2009 Buffalo State Holiday Inn Invite, held at the Buffalo State Sports Complex in Buffalo, NY. The Saints captured their fifth victory of the season and improved to a 5-3 mark while the Student Princes fell to a 4-7 overall record. Wopperer (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) shot 4-for-4 from the field, 1-for-1 from three-point land and 2-for-2 from the line in the first 20 minutes en route to putting up a team high 18 points, while rookie Terry Parham (Petersburg, VA/Indian River) continued to have an impressive weekend as he posted 17 points while collecting three rebounds and three assists. Senior captain Bela Vonnak (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie) tallied 14 points and fellow captain and classmate Richard Williams (Kingston, NY/Kingston) added 11 to St. Lawrence’s offensive efforts, as did junior Josh Sharlow (Norwood, NY/Norwood-Norfolk), who also captured five boards, a game high seven steals, and three assists. St. Lawrence took early control of the contest thanks to impressive shooting from the field and never looked back as their early lead quickly grew into double digits less than five minutes into the game after Sharlow knocked in a shot from three point range. The Saints fended off a strong offensive effort on the part of Heidelberg, as they attempted to shave away St. Lawrence’s lead. The Saints earned another double-digit advantage with a three from Wopperer at 9:32 to give the Scarlet and Brown a 24-13 edge and maintained their comfortable lead throughout the remainder of the half. St. Lawrence was ahead by as much as 15 points before the Student Princes scored five unanswered points to close the period with the scoreboard reading 40-30 in favor of the Saints. Guided by Wopperer’s perfect first half, the Scarlet and Brown shot just over 53-percent in the opening frame while containing Heidelberg to just under 42-percent. St. Lawrence out-rebounded their opponent 20-15 in the first 20 minutes of play with rookies Ralph Temgoua (Paris, France/Deerfield Academy) and Garrett Sharlow (Massena, NY/Massena Central) grabbing six and five boards, respectively. Wopperer opened the second half with a three to increase the Saints’ cushion to 13, but the Student Princes made it a three possession game in the first two minutes, posting five quick points to get within eight of St. Lawrence, 43-35, with 18:02 to go. The Saints continued to make shot after shot as their lead rapidly ballooned to a game-high 22 points (77-55) with 7:10 remaining in regulation with the help of Parham, who had an incredible 15 points in the second half alone, and Vonnak, who was 4-for-4 from the field. Despite the deficit, Heidelberg persevered and found themselves within nine once again (83-74) with 2:43 on the clock after the Saints were plagued with a short stint of fouls and failed attempts. But St. Lawrence was nearly perfect down the final stretch and made 5-of-6 free throws to maintain their advantage and hold off any last second efforts by the Student Princes to claim the 90-79 victory. St. Lawrence scored 30 points off the bench in the second half and shot 60-percent from the field, while Heidelberg was 16-for-42 from the floor to average just under 40-percent for the game. The Scarlet and Brown forced Heidelberg to take shots from the perimeter and scored 60 points from inside the paint, while the Student Princes only tallied 32. Guiding Heidelberg was Smalley, who tallied a game-high 19 points, while teammates Jake Hessey and Travis Kinn had 16 points apiece. St. Lawrence will travel to Oswego State on Tuesday, January 6th for a non-conference contest with the Lakers. Tip-off is scheduled for 8:00pm in Oswego, NY.

Jan. 2: First year student Ralph Temgoua posted a game-high 24 points and the St. Lawrence University men’s basketball team shot nearly 52-percent from the floor, but Widener University used a late-game scoring streak to upend the Saints, 97-93, in the opening game of the Buffalo State Holiday Inn Invitational Friday evening in Buffalo, NY. The Scarlet and Brown suffered their second straight loss and fell to a 4-3 record, while Widener stands at an 8-3 mark heading into tomorrow’s championship contest. Temgoua (Paris, France/Deerfield Academy) shot a blistering 10-for-12 from the floor en route to accumulating his 24 points, while the rookie also added six rebounds and two steals to guide St. Lawrence’s efforts. He led a four-man contingent of Saints scoring in double-digits, including captain Bela Vonnak (Canajoharie, NY/Canajoharie), who netted 17 points and a team-high eight rebounds while shooting 50-percent from the field. Junior Josh Sharlow (Norwood, NY/Norwood-Norfolk) tallied 16 points and a game-high six assists and five steals, while first year Terry Parham (Petersburg, VA/Indian River) amassed 10 points for the Saints. The highly offensive contest was defined by its 18 lead changes and nine ties as the two teams battled for every part of the 40 minutes played, with neither squad ever earning more than an eight-point edge over the other. St. Lawrence opened with a short-lived lead before Widener’s Bobby Edmunds lead the Pride to a 23-15 advantage with just over 11 minutes still to play in the opening stanza. St. Lawrence slowly chipped away at Widener’s lead before knotting things up again at 31-31 after a three-point play by Vonnak with 6:59 remaining on the clock. The Scarlet and Brown found themselves up by four after back-to-back threes from rookie Garrett Sharlow (Massena, NY/Massena Central) but it wouldn’t be long until the Pride tied the game 39-39 with 3:21 to go in the first. Parham gave the Saints their last lead of the period off two free throws but Widener enjoyed a 9-4 advantage in the final minutes to give them a 50-45 edge heading into the locker rooms at the end of the half. The Pride quickly found out that they were in no way safe in the first moments of the second frame as St. Lawrence responded with their own 9-4 run before Parham would sink another shot from the line to give the Saints a one-point lead (55-54) with 15:09 remaining in the contest. The score teeter-tottered between the two squads for several minutes with the Saints eventually emerging victorious, earning the first two-possession lead in more than seven minutes after senior captain Tom Wopperer (Manlius, NY/Fayetteville-Manlius) made a free throw to give the Scarlet and Brown a 67-63 edge with 10:30 still to go. St. Lawrence enjoyed a lead as large as eight with 5:05 to play but Widener’s Chris McDevitt scored five unanswered points to ignite a 14-3 run that not only erased St. Lawrence’s lead but stunned the Saints’ squad as they were only able to muster a three-pointer in the final three minutes of play. Widener took control of the scoreboard with just 1:02 left and held on to ensure a trip to the championship game of the tournament, scheduled for Saturday afternoon. Widener was led by Charles Jones and Matt Sosna, who each tallied 21 points to help give the Pride the win. St. Lawrence shot an impressive 52-percent from the floor and 37-percent from three-point range, while Widener shot just under 49-percent from the field. The Pride’s advantage came off their abundance of shots, as well as their slight edge from behind the arc, where they shot 10-for-23 (43.5%).

St. Lawrence University's Josh Sharlow (Norwood, NY) absorbs the contact as be beats Plattsburgh's Ketema Brooks inside for the layup. The Saints beat SUNY Plattsburgh 82-71.
(Mark VanBibber photo)  Game Gallery

St. Lawrence University' students help Tom Wopperer (31) scored a career best 36 points against Plattsburgh in passing the 1,000 point mark as celebrated with fellow students.
 

Potsdam's Olando Minoot (32) with a solid drive to the hoop.

January 3: The SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball team continued play at the ECAC Holiday Festival at Disney World on Saturday afternoon and lost to Montclair St. 75-66. Damon Brown (Brooklyn/Port Richmond) led the Bears in scoring with 19 points on 7-for-15 shooting from the field and was 3-for-6 from behind the 3-point arc. He also led the team in rebounds with eight. Alvin Dike (Bronx/Msgr. Scanlon) was the only other Bear to score in double figures as he had 16 points. Tom Bonard led Montclair St. in scoring with 19 points. The Bears (5-4) return to SUNYAC play next Friday (1/9) at 8 pm on the road against Buffalo St.

January 2: The SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball lost a close game to St. Joseph’s (LI) 76-73 on Friday afternoon at the ECAC Holiday Festival at Disney World. Four Bears scored in double figures led by Damon Brown (Brooklyn/Port Richmond) who had 18 points and eight rebounds. Alvin Dike (Bronx/Msgr. Scanlon) had 14 points, Brandon Siskavich (Peru/Peru) chipped in 12, and Brendan Graney (Ticonderoga/Ticonderoga) contributed 10 points. David Acree was one of five St. Joseph’s players to score in double figures as he finished with 18 points to lead the team.

SUNY Geneseo’s Mike Baker (23) of Ogdensburg, NY dribbles the ball over mid-court being guarded by SUNY Potsdam’s Edward Cross (3).  Baker had 11 points. However, senior Damon Brown scored 18 points to lead the Potsdam men to a 60-55 victory over Geneseo in their SUNYAC opener Friday night . The Bears now move to 5-1 (1-0 SUNYAC) while the Blue Knights go to 4-2 (1-1). (Eric Foote photo)  Game Gallery

Potsdam's Tom Kelso (Ogdensburg, NY) soars for the jumper against Geneseo.  Kelso, a freshman, started the game.
Clarkson University's Keith Murray (22) and Brian Salanger (10) close ranks defensively to double team SUNY Potsdam's
Brandon Graney. (Bob LaRue photo)  Game Gallery
 

North Country's Dominic Mungen (34) of Holly Hill, Florida goes up for the opening tip against Erie Community College on Saturday in the opening round of the Saints Classic. North Country dropped the contest 94-64.  (Frank Pastizzo photo)

North Country's Tim Flowers (11) of Brooklyn, NY, directs traffic in the Saints game vs. Erie Community College. North Country returned to the win column on Sunday with a 101-61 victory over Word of Life Bible Institute in the consolation game.

December 13: The North Country Community College men's basketball team ended its first semester on a tough note Saturday, dropping an 80-72 overtime decision at SUNY Delhi. Reggie Davis and Cory McLaughlin led the Mustangs with 20 points each, while Jamal Little added 18 and Nyquan Bellamy, 12. Leading the way for the Saints were Tim Flowers (Brooklyn, NY) with 18 points, Mike Cowart (Orlando, Florida) 17, Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) 15 and Keon Patterson (Daytona Beach, Florida), 10. The Saints (5-9 overall, 4-8 in Region III) were outscored 15-2 from the foul line.

December 7: The North Country Community College men's basketball team built a 17-point second half lead then watched it all evaporate before pulling out a 83-79 victory over Onondaga Community College in NJCAA Region III action on Sunday afternoon. Dominic Mungen (Holly Hill, Florida) paced the Saints with a game high 26 points, Tony Sparkman (Lake Worth, Florida) added 20 and Tim Flowers (Brooklyn, NY) chipped in with 17. Matt Potter led the Lazers with 19 points, Jason Kondra and Tyler Eustace added 17 and 13 points respectively. NCCC looked to be in control late in the game before Onondaga roared back to tie the game at 79 with just under a minute to play. Mike Franklin (Harlem, NY) came up huge for the Saints when he knocked down a short jump shot in the lane then Mungen sealed the victory with a layup. With the win North Country improves to 5-8 on the season.

Coach Chad Ladue (formerly Norwood-Norfolk) and Ryan Geary (Ogdensburg, N.Y.) look on during this past weekend's action at the Viking Club Classic hosted by Hudson Valley Community College. North Country fell in the consolation game to Schectady 85-75.  North Country returns to play on Tuesday when they travel to Jefferson C.C.  (Photos by Rob Roy)

Saints' Mike Franklin (1) from Harlem, N.Y. pressures the ball during Sunday's contest against Schenectady C.C.
 

SUNY Canton's Silvon John (1) is under attack from the Roberts Wesleyan defense and has his shot blocked.  The SUNY Canton men's basketball team couldn't overcome a strong start to the second half by Roberts Wesleyan College as they lost to the Raiders 63-45 Friday night at St. Lawrence University.  (Mark VanBibber photo)  Game Gallery

Canton junior guard Tony Valentin (15) skies for the shot.

December 6: Silvon John (Bronx, N.Y.) recorded his fourth double-double of the year and Tony Valentin (Perth Amboy, N.J.) added 23 points but the SUNY Canton men's basketball team came up short in a 68-50 loss to Houghton College Saturday in Canton. The Roos end the semester at 0-9 while the Highlanders improved to 3-4. John had 13 points and 12 rebounds and Valentin was a perfect 8-for-8 from the free throw line. Valentin has not missed a free throw all semester as the junior has gone 28-for-28 from the line. Deric Alston (Jacksonville, N.C.) added eight points and two steals for the Roos. Yannick Anzuluni had a monster game for the Highlanders with 35 points, 17 rebounds and six steals. Kenan Etale contributed eight points, four rebounds and three assists for Houghton.

December 5: The SUNY Canton men's basketball team couldn't overcome a strong start to the second half by Roberts Wesleyan College as they lost to the Raiders 63-45 Friday night at St. Lawrence University. The Roos are now 0-8 while Roberts Wesleyan improved to 5-2. The Raiders held a 33-24 advantage at halftime and then opened the second half on a 15-2 run. The Roos had a strong start to the game once again as they scored five straight points, a three from Tony Valentin (Perth Amboy, N.J.) and a basket from Deric Alston (Jacksonville, N.C.) after the Raiders opened with an inside basket in the first minute. SUNY Canton held a slim lead for the next four minutes before the Raiders reeled off a 13-2 run to re-take the lead. SUNY Canton fell behind by as much as 12 points midway through the half before making a slight run of their own to pull within seven points with 1:10 on the clock. Valentin had seven points during that stretch. A jumper by the Raiders Mark Saladzius with 47 seconds left gave Roberts Wesleyan a nine-point halftime lead. Valentin pumped in a season-high 23 points to lead the Roos. Valentin also had six rebounds and three assists. Silvon John (Bronx, N.Y.) added 10 points and eight rebounds and Josh Wilson (Chaumont, N.Y.) contributed six points and two steals. The Raiders were led by Saladzius who had 17 points, six rebounds and six assists. Jemel Williams added 13 points and two rebounds. Curt Despard collected10 rebounds and Jacob Russell chipped in with nine points.
 


SUNY Plattsburgh's Ketema Brooks (5) extends outward to avoid the reach of a defending St. Lawrence play in getting
a shot on the basket.  (Mark VanBibber photo)  Game Gallery

Chris Ruiz (15) slices inside the St. Lawrence defense.

December 6: Saturday marked the first time in 18-straight State University of New York Athletic Conference games that the Plattsburgh State men's basketball team fell to a league opponent. The visiting Geneseo Blue Knights walked out of Memorial Hall with a 70-57 victory over the Cardinals, bringing the team's record to 5-2 on the year, 2-1 in the SUNYAC. Plattsburgh now stands at 3-4 for the season, 1-1 in conference play. SUNYIT, at home, was the last time a SUNYAC opponent had beaten Plattsburgh on Feb. 16, 2007. Chris Ruiz netted a team-high 16 points for Plattsburgh, and tied with Tim Havens with three assists. Brad Mader pulled down 14 boards for the Cardinals, while Errol Daniyan grabbed two steals. For Geneseo, Jeff Howe posted a double-double with 14 points and 12 rebounds. Scott Morton led all scorers with 19 points, and just missed a double-double of his own with nine boards. Geneseo did not trail in the second half, although Plattsburgh tied the score at 39-all on a Mader layup with 13 minutes and 13 seconds left. Plattsburgh shot only 36.5 percent from the field while Geneseo was good with a 45.6 clip.

December 5: Sophomore guard Chris Ruiz proved why he's the reigning men's basketball player of the week in the State University of New York Athletic Conference on Friday night. Ruiz poured-in a career- and conference-high 41 points in Plattsburgh State's 99-92 victory in overtime over the visiting College of Brockport at Memorial Hall. After the SUNYAC opener for both teams, the Cardinals are 3-3 overall while the Golden Eagles are 1-3. Ruiz made 14 of 26 field goals and 10 of 13 free throws, plus he had 12 rebounds to complete a double-double. Brad Mader came off the bench and also posted a double-double with 13 points and game-best 14 rebounds, and Danny Tangney and Errol Daniyan each chipped in 14 points. Mychal Wilkes paced four Golden Eagles in double figures with 21 points, followed by Joel Almeida with 20, Eamon Kays had 15 and Joe Clarke scored 13. With the score tied at 83, Ian Mack had a chance to win it for Brockport in regulation but his driving lay-in glanced off the rim with 2 seconds left and Daniyan grabbed the defensive rebound as time expired. Almeida nailed one of his four 3-pointers to send the game into the 5-minute extra session. Plattsburgh led by as many as 12 points in the first half and eight in the second half. It's poor performance from the free throw line--a 51.5 clip on 17 of 33 attempts--helped keep the Golden Eagles in the game. However, the Cardinals made their foul shots count in the overtime when they converted 10 of 14 for 71.4 percent to extend their SUNYAC winning streak to 18 games dating to the 2006-07 season.