Box Score SUNYIT 88, Utica 75 - Men's Basketball Final

Marcy, NY (1/2/2013) – The SUNYIT men's basketball team outscored visiting Utica College 53-38 in the second half on its way to an 88-75 victory over the Pioneers in non-conference play Wednesday afternoon.  Marion Lewis (Bronx, NY/Lehman) netted a career-high 29 points on 11-of-18 shooting from the floor for UC.  Junior forward Chris Jeffers (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn) added 21 points and seven rebounds, while Aaron Nevins (Buffalo, NY/Canisius) dished out six assists and scored eight points. 

SUNYIT (2-8) started the season 0-8 but they have now won two in a row, while the Pioneers have lost four in a row as their record moved to 3-6 on the year. 

Ryan James led the Wildcats with 22 points (9-of-12 shooting) and four steals, while T'Andre Richardson posted 19 points and 11 rebounds.  Desmian Greer netted 18 points and four assists.  Alex Drake provided a nice spark for the Wildcats off the bench as he tallied 17 points.

SUNYIT built a 35-25 lead with 3:17 to go in the first half, as sophomore forward T'Andre Richardson was spectacular in the first 20 minutes. Richardson finished the half with 12 points and eight rebounds. The Pioneers – known to score in bunches – would close the half on a 12-0 run to take a 37-35 lead into the half.

Different players stepped up all night for the Wildcats, and when the Pioneers came out in the second half committed to limiting Richardson's impact, junior guard Ryan James was there to carry the torch. James kicked off the half with a jumper to tie the score at 37, then scored 10 of the Wildcats next 23 points as SUNYIT took a 60-55 lead at the 12:09 mark.

With 9:26 to play Marion Lewis (Bronx, NY/Lehman) converted his only three-point attempt of the game to tie the score at 62-62. It would be the last time the Pioneers had a share of the lead, however, as SUNYIT pushed its lead to six, then eight, and finally ten with 1:34 to play on what was indisputably the play of the game. After a turnover by Lewis, SUNYIT guard Alex Drake broke down the Utica defense in transition to create an advantage for the Wildcats. He then whipped a one-handed pass from just inside half court to a wide-open Richardson, who delivered a thundering two hand dunk while being fouled by Chris Jeffers (Albany, NY/Bishop Maginn). The play put SUNYIT up 82-71 after Richardson knocked down the free throw, and with time running out the Wildcats made their free throws to salt the game away.

The Wildcats shot 80.8% (21-of-26) from the floor in the second half to outscore the Pioneers 53-28 in the final 20 minutes.  SUNYIT outscored UC 52-44 in the paint and the lead changed hands on seven difference occasions. 

Rich Smith (Albany, NY/La Salle Institute) netted six points on 2-of-3 shooting from behind the arc for the Pioneers. 

The Pioneers return home for their next three games, beginning with an Empire 8 Conference contest on Friday night against visiting St. John Fisher College at 8 p.m.

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