Hofstra 87, Farmingdale State 48
Box Score
HEMPSTEAD, N.Y. - Junior Nathaniel Lester (Brooklyn, NY) set a season-high with 21 points and senior Miklos Szabo (Szeghalom, Hungary) recorded his second career double-double to lead the Hofstra Men's Basketball team to an 87-48 victory over Farmingdale State in the Pride's home opener Friday at the Mack Sports Complex.
Four Pride players scored in double figures as Hofstra evened its record at 2-2 after dropping two games on the road to nationally ranked teams (No. 1 Kansas on Nov. 13 and No. 12 Connecticut on Nov. 17). Farmingdale State opened its season at 0-1.
The Pride held the Rams to just 28.8 percent shooting from the field. Hofstra's victory margin was its largest since defeating Northeastern by 39 points during the 1999-00 season.
Szabo scored 10 points and added 11 rebounds. Yves Jules (Brooklyn, NY) contributed 12 points off the bench for the first scoring of his collegiate career, while fellow freshman Chaz Williams (Brooklyn, NY) chipped in a career-high 11 points and nine assists as a reserve. Hofstra's bench out-scored Farmingdale State, 34-13.
Junior guard Charles Jenkins (Queens, NY) left the game with 6:20 left in the first half after Farmingdale's Terrance Howard committed a hard foul on the Pride's leading scorer. Jenkins stayed on the court momentarily before the training staff helped him to the locker room. Jenkins returned to the bench for the second half, but did not see any action after scoring nine points on 3-3 shooting, ending a streak of 21 straight games in double figures.
Hofstra more than compensated for Jenkins and his 21.7 scoring average, surging to a 53-28 halftime lead thanks to a 30-7 run in the last 10 minutes. Lester shot 5-6 from the field and drilled all five free throw attempts as part of his 16-point half.
Like Jules, freshman Matt Grogan (Middle Village, NY) scored the first points of his collegiate career, drilling a late second-half three-pointer to put Hofstra ahead, 78-39.
Hofstra Head Coach Tom Pecora had his first head coaching job at Farmingdale State from 1989-92, when it was a two-year school. Pecora compiled a 62-24 record in three seasons with the Rams, including a 20-9 record and a Region 15 championship in 1991-92, before leaving to take an assistant coaching position at UNLV under Rollie Massimino in 1992-93, along with Jay Wright.
Hofstra improved to 7-4 in the all-time series against Farmingdale. The previous contest between the two schools came during the 1944-45 season.
The Pride will next be in action when it hosts an NIT Season Tip-Off consolation bracket on Monday and Tuesday at the Mack Sports Complex. Hofstra will face Elon on Monday at 7 p.m. and Charlotte on Tuesday at 7 p.m. The opening games will feature Charlotte against Yale on Monday at 4:30 p.m., and Elon against Yale on Tuesday at 4:30 p.m.
#19 Georgia Tech 70, George Mason 62
Box Score
SAN JUAN, Puerto Rico - The George Mason men's basketball team held an early lead, fell behind big, and rallied down the stretch before coming up short against 19th-ranked Georgia Tech on Friday, losing to a ranked opponent for the second straight day. Mason fell to Georgia Tech, 70-62, in the Puerto Rico Tip-Off in San Juan.
Kevin Foster led Mason with 15 points and nine rebounds. Andre Cornelius had 11 points and Luke Hancock had eight points, nine rebounds and seven assists. Mason shot just 35.8 percent from the field while Georgia Tech shot 46.9 percent. Mason was outrebounded by 10 and sent Georgia Tech to the free throw line 37 times.
Mason once again started a contest against a ranked team quick and with high energy. The Patriots jumped ahead 17-9 behind two Andre Cornelius 3-pointers, a pair of Luke Hancock baskets. But after Cornelius made his second 3-pointer with 9:53 to go, things started to fall apart for Mason. The Patriots missed 12 straight attempts to end the half as Georgia Tech put together an 18-2 run to turn an eight-point deficit into an eight-point halftime lead.
With it a seven-point game just two minutes into the second half, Georgia Tech scored six unanswered points in 17 seconds to make it a 13-point Mason deficit. From there it just grew until the Ramblin Wreck led by as many as 21 points.
But there was no quit in Mason. Down 57-36, the Patriots made a 24-9 run to pull to within six in the final minute. Kevin Foster, Cam Long and Sherrod Wright were instrumental in the run that saw the Patriots force Georgia Tech to make foul shots. Despite shooting less than 60 percent from the line in the game, Georgia Tech made five in the final 32 seconds to seal the win. The Yellow Jackets did not score from the field over the final 8:48.
Mason will take the court at 10:30 a.m. EST on Sunday against the loser of Friday's game between Indiana and Boston University.
Rutgers 58, Drexel 56
Box Score
PISCATAWAY, N.J - Rutgers Gregory Echenique scored on a left-handed lay-up as time expired to give Rutgers a 58-56 win against Drexel at the Louis Brown Athletic Center. It was the first game of the Legends Classic.
The game was tied at 56-56 with 1.9 seconds to play. Rutgers called a timeout and on the inbounds, found Echenique in the lane and he beat the Drexel defender to the left to win the ball game. Drexel had tied it just seconds earlier when little used Yannick Formbor put back a Gerald Colds miss to tie the game up.
Rutgers led, 55-51, when Jamie Harris was fouled and hit one of two free throws to cut it to three with 1:02 left. The Scarlet Knights big man, Gregory Echenique, was fouled by Kevin Phillip with 33 seconds left and missed a pair of free throws. Evan Neisler grabbed the board and was fouled in the process. The senior knocked down both free throws to make it a one-point Rutgers lead at 55-54. Neisler committed a foul and was disqualified with 28 seconds left. Mike Rosario was sent to the line and could only make one of two freebies, setting up the final two possessions.
Drexel led briefly in the second half, but a Rutgers went ahead 45-38 midway through the frame. Mike Rosario finished a fast break after a Drexel turnover and on the next possession Echenique posted up to the basket for a bucket. Echenique had a big game for the Scarlet Knights, scoring 16 points and grabbing 14 rebounds, both game highs.
Drexel trailed by as many as seven in the first half, but rallied to tie the score at 26-26 on a Gerald Colds driving lay-up with 2:19 left in the half. The Scarlet Knights answered when Mike Coburn hit a three-pointer on the very next possession to put Rutgers ahead. The Dragons trailed by just one at 29-28 at intermission despite struggling from the floor in the first half. Drexel was just 9-for-33 and 0-for-9 from deep, shooting 27 percent. Rutgers had seven blocked shots in the first half.
Colds led the Dragons with 12 points. Harris added 10 to go along with five steals. The Dragons shot just 27 percent from the field in the game, but stayed in the contest by taking care of the ball (just seven turnovers) and having Rutgers make only 16 of its 35 free-throw attempts.
Miami (FL) 67, UNC Wilmington 60
Box Score
CHARLESTON, S.C. - Miami shook off pesky UNC Wilmington with a decisive 16-4 run midway through the second half to down the Seahawks, 67-60, in the semifinals of the Charleston Classic Friday at Carolina First Arena.
The Hurricanes improved to 4-0 with the victory after defeating Tulane in Thursday's quarterfinals. The Seahawks dipped to 1-3 on the new season and will face either South Carolina or South Florida in a consolation game Sunday at 3:30 p.m.
Miami reserve point guard Malcolm Grant came off the bench to lead all scorers with 18 points on 6-for-10 shooting. The Hurricanes, who shot an even 50 percent, also got 17 points from James Dews.
UNCW, which managed just 38.2 percent shooting on 21-for-55 from the floor, was sparked by Chad Tomko's 16 points. Junior center John Fields chipped in 15 points and two blocks for the Seahawks.
"We went up against a very good team tonight," said Benny Moss, UNCW's fourth-year coach. "Our effort was unbelievable. They knocked us on our heels a little at the end of the first half and we battled back."
Miami solved UNCW's fast-paced offense with some pressure defense late in the first half to grab a narrow halftime lead and then used a quick start in the second period to advance to Sunday's championship game against the winner of the South Carolina-South Florida matchup.
After forging out to a 37-30 lead on Reggie Johnson's layup with 16:14 left in the contest, Miami watched the pesky Seahawks score six straight points to slice the deficit to one and then tie the game at 39-all on Tomko's long triple in front of the UNCW bench at 11:38.
Miami then went on its 16-4 run that broke the game open. Dwayne Collins kick started the rally with a free throw and a runner on the right baseline by Dews capped the spurt and staked Miami to its largest lead of the game, 55-43, with 5:51 left to play.
The spunky Seahawks chipped away to narrow the deficit to 62-58 with 43 seconds showing, but UofM scored five of the last seven points to move into the finals.
UNCW led by as many 14 points in the first half before Miami put together a furious rally over the last six minutes of the opening period to take a 27-26 edge at the break. The Hurricanes struggled from the floor early, missing seven of their first 10 shots, but found their shooting touch and wound up hitting 50 percent from the floor.
The Seahawks used runs of 8-0 and 10-0 to build a 22-8 cushion with 6:09 left in the first half. Darryl Felder's triple from the left corner gave the Seahawks an 18-6 lead at 9:24 and when Dominique Lacy converted both ends of a bonus situation with 6:09 showing, UNCW enjoyed a 22-8 advantage.
But Miami, behind Grant, went on a tear. The Hurricanes scored eight unanswered points and then closed out the period with a 10-0 run when Cyrus McGowan made a layup with two seconds remaining.
Drake 65, Georgia State 58
Box Score
DAYTONA BEACH, Fla. - Georgia State's late rally came up short and the Panthers fell to Drake, 65-58, in the Glenn Wilkes Classic Friday afternoon at the Ocean Center in Daytona Beach, Fla.
Joe Dukes led Georgia State (1-2) with 20 points and Trae Goldston added 16, but the Panthers could not overcome Drake's hot shooting nor their own shooting woes. Drake (1-2) connected on 59.5 percent from the field, including seven three-pointers, while GSU managed just 32.8 percent.
Still, the Panthers rallied from 15 points down late in the second half to pull within five at 61-56 with 42 seconds to play. But Drake made free throws down the stretch, going 14-for-17 in the second half, to seal the win.
"It was a tough day for us shooting the ball," said Georgia State head coach Rod Barnes. "We've got to finish better around the basket. We got the ball to the rim, but too many times we couldn't finish.
"I'm happy that we made a run, but we're a better team than we showed today. This is a three-day tournament, so we've got to come right back tomorrow and play like I think we can."
The Panthers' backcourt of Dukes and Goldston combined for 36 points, but starting post players Trey Hampton and Xavier Hansbro were limited to just three points.
Ousman Krubally grabbed 13 rebounds off the bench, one off his career best and his second double-figure effort in three games this season. He added six points, three steals and two assists. The Panthers outrebounded Drake, 39-23, and forced 19 Bulldog turnovers.
Drake benefitted from balanced scoring with four of their five starters reaching double figures, led by Ryan Wedel with 15 points.
"Drake shot the ball well, and they hit some big threes," said Barnes. "That's what they do. They're very patient on offense, and they're a very good shooting team."
Georgia State fell behind early, but pulled within three points at
26-23 on a pair of free throws by Krubally with four minutes left in the first half. But Drake hit three three-pointers in the final three minutes of the half to lead 35-27 at the intermission. The Bulldogs then scored the first five points of the second half to extend their advantage to 13 points.
Drake led 59-44 with just two minutes left in the game when the Panthers rallied, fueled by pressure defense.
Goldston hit a hit a jumper, and then back-to-back steals by Krubally led to baskets by Goldston and Dukes as the Panthers cut the deficit to 59-50. Bill Eaddy sank a pair of free throws for Drake, but Goldston answered with jumper, off a feed from Dukes. Dukes then hit free throws on consecutive possessions to pull the Panthers within 61-56 with 42 seconds to play. But Drake made four free throws in the final 26 seconds to hold off Georgia State.
Dukes scored 15 of his 20 points in the second half, including 12 points in the final five minutes. Goldston scored six points in the last two minutes.
The Panthers now face Howard Saturday at 11 a.m. Live radio coverage is available on WRAS-FM 88.5, and live video streaming is available at (subscription required).
Murray State 71, James Madison 43
Box Score
MIAMI, Fla., Nov. 20, 2009 - Senior Tony Easley's 12 early points helped Murray State jump out to a quick 11-point lead en route to a 71-43 men's basketball win over James Madison on Friday afternoon at Florida International's U.S. Century Bank Arena as part of the 2009 2K Sports Classic benefitting Coaches vs. Cancer.
MSU improved to 2-1 on the season while JMU fell to 0-2.
Easley scored 12 points in the first 7:08 of the contest as the Racers pulled out to a 19-8 lead. He finished with 18 points, 15 in the first half, on 7-of-12 shooting from the floor and 4-of-6 at the free-throw line. Easley's effort included a double-double with 10 rebounds, five blocks, and three steals.
The Racers put two other players in double figures as senior Danero Thomas finished with 12 points, five boards, and three assists. Freshman Isaiah Canaan also posted 12 points.
Sophomore forward Julius Wells (Toledo, Ohio/Libbey) led JMU with 11 points, including three three-point field goals. Freshman guard Darren White (Danville, Va./Dan River) added nine points, including 5-of-6 shooting at the free-throw line.
After a free throw by redshirt senior forward Dazzmond Thornton (Denver, Colo./East), JMU was held without a basket for the next four minutes and 28 seconds as MSU extended its lead to 24-9. The largest lead of the first half came with the halftime score of 36-17.
In the second half, the Racers ran the lead to 23 points at 44-21 with 16:09 remaining. A pair of treys by Wells helped cut the lead to 15 at 47-32 with 12:15 left.
The Dukes still trailed by 15 at 49-34 until Murray went on a 9-0 run to grab a 58-34 lead with 8:15 remaining. The Racers led by as many as 31 en route to the 71-43 win.
After MSU's first basket at 18:55 in the second half, the Dukes held the Racers without a field goal for a span of eight minutes and 10 seconds until a Donte Poole layup at 10:45. However, the Racers maintained the advantage thanks to 11 free throws during that stretch.
Murray State held the advantage in field-goal percentage at 37.9% to 28.1 for the Dukes. JMU made just three of its 23 three-point attempts (13%). The Racers also held a 53-32 lead in rebounding.
JMU will be off on Saturday before then facing host Florida International on Sunday at 6 p.m. The Dukes also square off with North Carolina Central on Monday afternoon at 4 p.m.
Courtesy: CAA
