Men’s Basketball Shoots Past Mount Saint Mary, 84-60

NEWBURGH, N.Y. – Suffolk men's basketball began the New Year in the win column as the Rams burried 15 buckets from beyond-the-arc to defeat Mount Saint Mary, 84-60, Thursday afternoon at the Kaplan Center.  

THE BASICS
SCORE: Suffolk 84 | Mount Saint Mary 60
RECORDS: Suffolk (6-5) | Mount Saint Mary (2-7)  

HOW IT HAPPENED
From a 4-4 tie, Suffolk scored eight straight to go up 12-4, which forced Mt. St. Mary to use a timeout 3:46 into the action. The Rams run carried out of the huddle with the visitors outscoring the hosts, 7-2, to take a 13-point, 19-6 advantage when the Knights used their second timeout of the day. 

This time, MSM used the break to battle back and pulled within seven, 25-18, with 8:07 left before half time. See-saw action ensued, which allowed the Knights to remain within striking distance. 

Alex Jacovides' hot hands from downtown regained a double-digit margin, 37-28, with just under four minutes to go in the first frame. The junior's sharp shooting caught on as Nate Hale got in on the action from three-point land and Connor Byrne converted a layup. Those buckets and two more triples from Jacovides pushed Suffolk's lead to 20, 48-28, as the teams headed to the locker rooms.  

The Knights looked to make moves in the early minutes in the second stanza. MSM managed to outscore Suffolk, 5-2, to pull back within 17, but another Rams run pushed the gap to 25, 65-40, at the midway mark of the half.  

The cushion blossomed to as many as 28, 73-45, on a William Rowe layup with just under seven minutes to go and it was cruise control from there for Suffolk.  

INSIDE THE NUMBERS

• Jacovides anchored Suffolk's scoring with a 19-point performance with a 5-for-7 showing from three-point range. The reserve's stat line included six boards, three assists, two steals and one block. 
• Jonathan Eng supplied 11 points, shooting 4-for-9 from the field, six helpers and two takeaways.
• Thomas Duffy had an all-around outing of 10 points, six caroms, four assists and one steal. 
• Hale chipped in 10 points, three rebounds, two dimes and two steals off the bench. 
• Suffolk shot 54.2 percent (32-59) from the floor, 44.1 percent (15-34) from behind-the-arc and 71.4 percent (5-7) from the charity stripe. 
• The Rams outrebounded the Knights, 34-28.  

NOTEWORTHY

• Suffolk and Mount Saint Mary met for the first time. 
• The Rams hit a season-best 15 three-pointers. 
• Eng handed out a personal-best six assists. 
• Jacovides matched a career-high three dimes and two helpers.
• Adam Davenport handed out his first collegiate assist.  
• Hale matched a personal-high three steals.
• Ismail Fofana pulled down his first collegiate rebound. 
• Jarrett Byrne notched a career-high two steals and matched a personal-best one swat.  

POST-GAME PIC
  

WHAT'S NEXT?
Suffolk will entertain Western New England at Emmanuel's Andy Yosinoff Court Saturday, Jan. 4 at 2 p.m.