MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – The Morrisville State men's basketball team gave visiting nationally ranked no. 12 Middlebury a run, but fell short 78-63 as the Panthers collected the non-conference win behind guard play on the perimeter in addition to contributions from its bench.
THE BASICS:
- Final Score: #12 Middlebury 78, Morrisville State 63 (halftime: Middlebury 43-29)
- Location: John W. Stewart Center for Student Activities Gymnasium, Morrisville, N.Y.
- Records: Middlebury 4-0, Morrisville State 3-2
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Middlebury, ranked no. 12 in the latest Division III poll, got a generous contribution from their bench as the reserves outscored the Mustang bench 43-8 on the night, including a team high 23 from Max Bosco who went 7-for-10 from the floor, and a perfect 7-for-7 from the free throw line.
- Middlebury held the slight advantage on the glass, outgaining the Mustangs 43 to 41, with a team high 10 coming from leading scorer Matt Folger, who also added 11 points to his tallies on the night.
- The Panthers drained 11 from beyond the arc, shooting a game total 43.9% on the contest from the floor.
- Morrisville State struggled to get the game going on the perimeter, hitting a dismal 21.4% from behind the three-point line, but outgained Middlebury in paint play.
- The Mustangs collected 36 points on the inside, collecting 12 second chance points as they edged the Panthers 11-8 on the offensive glass.
- Morrisville State was led by junior forward Kevin Dennis (Bronx, N.Y.) who topped all scorers with 26 points, collecting a fourth straight double-double as he added 11 rebounds. Dennis shot 9-for-13 from the floor and a perfect 8-for-8 from the charity stripe.
- Derek Beames (Otego, N.Y.) added 14 points to go along with eight rebounds, assisting two.
- Both teams played to within single digits of one another until the 3:18 mark when Jack Farrell converted two free throws for the visitors for the 10 point advantage.
- Back-to-back buckets by the Mustangs cut the deficit to six, but Middlebury nailed two straight from beyond the arc to add to their 8-0 run, while holding the hosts scoreless over the final 2:45 of the half to claim the 43-29 advantage at the break.
- Morrisville State attempted to put together a comeback in the second half, and cut the Panther lead to eight early on, but Middlebury put together another 8-0 spurt to regain the double-digit advantage.
- Dennis collected 15 of his game total 26 in the second half.
WHAT'S NEXT:
- Morrisville State will open North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) play on Saturday, traveling to cross town rival SUNY Polytechnic for a 3 p.m. conference tip off on the Wildcats home court in Marcy.
Morrisville State College's curricula are enriched with applied learning and pave the way for opportunity at both the Morrisville and Norwich campuses. An action-oriented, interactive learning lab, the college is a national leader in technology and has been lauded for its exemplary, innovative and effective community service programs.
The college was ranked among the Best Regional Colleges in the North by U.S. News & World Report Best Colleges 2018 issue and was also recognized in the Top Public Schools, Regional Colleges North in the 2018 Best Colleges rankings. For more information about Morrisville State College, visit www.morrisville.edu.
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