Loch Sheldrake, NY- SUNY Sullivan Men's Basketball opened this past weekend hosting the Tip Off Classic at the Paul Gerry Fieldhouse. They picked up two wins beating Essex CC and Raritan Valley CC on Saturday (11/2) and Sunday (11/3), respectively. The Generals started the 2019-2020 season right where they had left off last season in defending their home court. Last season, the Generals went an impressive 16-0 at home. With the wins over the weekend the Generals have extended their home court win streak to 19; the last home lost came on February 13, 2018.
Sullivan opened the season facing off with Essex CC from Region 19 (New Jersey). On a packed homecoming evening in the 'Bunker' the Generals were able to jump on the Wolverines early with a 20-3 run to start the game. As halftime came to a close the Generals were able to extend their lead 28, with a halftime score of 56-28. The second half played out very similarly, with the Generals winning the half 51-33. Sullivan won the game 107-61. 28 assists from Sullivan lead to them shoot 54% from the field and 35% from 3pt land and had an impressive defensive showing holding Essex to only 26% from the field. Returning team captain,
Darius Lee lead the way with a highly efficient 29 points, 5 rebounds, and 4 assists, shooting 12-14 (86%) from the field. The other returners,
Kendall Robinson and
Josh Galloway, both chipped in with 23 and 11 points, respectively. Kendall added to his stat line with 6 rebounds and 4 blocks. Transfer guard and newly added team captain,
Jasiah Lewis, showed what he can contribute with 12 assists, 8 rebounds, and 5 points. Other scoring came from E.Sanchez (9), J.Drain (8), T.Cannady (7), K.Dawson & T.Holley (6), and J.Reneau (3pts & 7ast). Essex was led by sophomore guard Etnik Peci who finished with 17 points and 5 rebounds.
Sullivan's second game of the weekend against Raritan Valley CC, on Sunday (11/3), wasn't as picturesque as the prior evening. It was apparent the Generals were in for a battle when Raritan Valley started the game on a 24-9 run hitting 6-7 from beyond the arc. The Generals launched an offensive and only trailed by 6 at half, 49-43. It was the non-existent defense that allowed Raritan Valley to shoot 56% from the field and 53% from three, hitting 10 threes. After some halftime adjustments the Generals were ready to dig in and work on defense; by the 16 minute mark they had tied it up and took their first lead of the game, 56-55. Over the next five minutes the game was tied twice and saw three lead changes. At the 11 minute mark, Sullivan took the lead 66-64 and never looked back, finishing the game on a 30-12 run. Sullivan won the game 96-76. They were led by
Darius Lee, who finished with 30 points (12-18 from the field) and 10 rebounds.
Kendall Robinson helped out with 19 points;
Jordan Drain had 13 points and 7 rebounds;
Eddie Sanchez chipped in with 11 points going 5-6 from the field. Other General scores came from: K.Dawson & J.Reneau (8); J. Galloway (4); and J.Lewis (3). Raritan Valley was led by Rick Keem Mixson & Goddy Marc both with 21 points.
The Sullivan Men's Basketball team is back in action next weekend when they travel to Monroe CC to take on Mohawk Valley CC and Cecil College in the annual Murph Shapiro Tournament.
