NORTH DARTMOUTH, MASS.—The SUNY Potsdam men's basketball team (1-0) never trailed in the second half as they defeated UMASS Dartmouth (0-1) 75-73 in the first round of the Lafrance Hospitality Tournament on Friday evening. Senior guard
Nicholas Cortez (Harlem, N.Y./La Salle Academy) made a triumphant return to the Bears' lineup with 19 points, six rebounds, four assists and three steals. Freshman forward
Ian Rose (Ogdensburg, N.Y./Ogdensburg Free Academy) had 14 points and seven boards in his collegiate debut.
HOW IT HAPPENED
- A 6-0 burst, capped by a Cortez layup, gave the Bears an 11-6 start to the contest.
- Another Cortez layup gave Potsdam its biggest lead of the first half, 27-20 at 5:04.
- The Bears led 34-33 at the break.
- A Corsair free throw tied the game 46 second into the second half, but junior guard Mike Hancock (Bayville, N.Y./Locust Valley) responded with two of his own to give Potsdam the lead for good.
- With 4:14 left, junior guard Timothy Hardy (Portsmouth, Va./Ocean Lakes) scored to make it 69-62, tying the Bears' biggest lead of the game.
- A dunk from junior guard Remmiel Simon (Far Rockaway Queens, N.Y./Far Rockaway) made it 71-64 with 2:47 left. He then hit a three at 1:24, giving Potsdam a 74-67 advantage.
- The hosts finished the contest on a 6-1 run, but the Bears held on for the 75-73 victory.
INSIDE THE NUMBERS
- Potsdam shot 44.1 percent from the floor and 33.3 percent from long range.
- UMASS Dartmouth hit 43.1 percent of its shots and 36.4 from three.
- The Corsairs outrebounded the Bears 49-42.
- Junior guard Josiah Smith (Shirley, N.Y./FDR) scored 11 points and had four assists, three boards and a steal.
- Hancock finished with 10 points and five boards and Simon had 10 points and six rebounds.
WHAT'S NEXT?
The Bears face Emerson University tomorrow afternoon at 2 p.m. in the tournament championship.
