By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information
(Morrisville, NY – Jan. 20, 2013) Morrisville State College men’s basketball ran away with their eight eighth straight victory, handing visiting Penn State Berks an 89-71 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) defeat Sunday afternoon in Morrisville.
The Mustangs improve to 11-4 overall, 5-1 in conference action, while the Nittany Lions dropped to 7-9 overall, registering their second conference loss of the season at 6-2.
Mickey Davis (Syracuse, N.Y.) posted a team high 19 points to lead Morrisville State, hitting 4-of-8 from beyond the arc, and snaring seven boards. Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y.) registered 16 points, while teammate Jailaan Kinsey (Syracuse, N.Y.) added 15, dishing out seven assists.
Rhamel Williams (Bronx, N.Y.) rounded out top scoring with 14 points, adding nine on the glass while assisting three. Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, N.Y.) controlled the boards on the day, snagging 11, assisting seven on the offensive end of the floor.
Four posted double digits for Penn State Berks led by Mike Porter (Howell, N.J.) with 17. Connor Hough (Telford, Pa.) added 13 and Dontez Reid (Gettysburg, Pa.) 12, on four three’s, while teammate Tom Smith (Norristown, Pa.) contributed 11 to the Nittany Lion efforts.
Morrisville State led from the opening tip and maintained a slim margin over Berks, before going on a 16-3 run over a six minute span to jump out to a 17 point lead behind two three’s and a pair of free throws by Davis, coupled with fast break layups by Williams and Jordan Prior (Cortland, N.Y.).
Jeff Schmidt (Orefield, Pa.) broke the scoring drought with two free throws, and Porter and Reid each added tallies to cut it to a 14 point difference for Berks, but Morrisville State closed out the half with an 8-2 run in the final two minutes claiming the 53-33 advantage.
The Nittany Lions clawed their way back into the contest in the second half, cutting it to just eight with 6:12 to go, but Morrisville State took advantage of the inside game to regain the double digit lead, and collect the conference win.
Morrisville State shot 50.8 percent from the floor on the day, compared to Berks 41.8 percent, and held the 43-30 advantage over the Nittany Lions on the glass.
The Mustangs return to the court Wednesday, traveling to NEAC opponent Wells College.