By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information
(Washington DC – Feb. 2, 2013) Visiting Morrisville State College men
’s basketball erased an eight point second half deficit using a game changing 12-4 run to top host Gallaudet University 75-56 in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action.
The Mustangs post their 12th straight victory to improve to 15-4 overall, remaining atop the NEAC with a 9-1 conference record. Gallaudet, who was a threat to Morrisville State through 24 minutes of play, drops to 9-13 overall, 5-6 in conference play.
The Mustangs had a balance offensive attack as 10 players contributed to the win. Three registered double digits for Morrisville State, led by junior guard Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, N.Y.) who put together a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, adding five assists and two steals to his tallies on the day. Mickey Davis (Syracuse, N.Y.) tallied 12 points hitting 6-of-9 from the floor, while stealing three, as teammate Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y.) added 11 points off the bench, assisting two others.
Tyler Crace tallied 13 points on 4-of-8 shooting from beyond the arc for the Bison, while Ben Coleman recorded 12 to round out top scorers for Gallaudet.
Morrisville State led by as many as five in the first half before Gallaudet put together a 15-5 run behind three straight from long range to regain the five point advantage at the intermission, 29-24.
Early on in the second period, Gallaudet increased their lead to as many as eight, before Andrew Lucio (Syracuse, N.Y.) nailed one from downtown and Jailaan Kinsey (Syracuse, N.Y.) a fast break layup to cut the Bison advantage to just three with 17:44 to go.
Crace hit a three to regain a six point lead for Gallaudet, but the Mustangs turned the tables and went on a game changing 26-9 run, claiming the 57-43 advantage over the Bison with just over 10 minutes to go.
Gallaudet attempted to cut into the Morrisville State lead, but the Mustangs capitalized off missed opportunities and turnovers for the Bison, as they increased the scoring margin to as many as 21.
Morrisville State returns to the court tomorrow, traveling to Penn State Harrisburg, who was last year’s NEAC South Division Champion and tournament runner-up.