MORRISVILLE, N.Y. – Top seeded Morrisville State men's basketball earned the programs fifth North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) title Sunday as they handed cross town rival SUNY Polytechnic the 91-73 defeat in the title game on the Mustangs home court in Morrisville, earning the conference's automatic qualifying bid to the NCAA Division III Championship Tournament.
Sophomore guard/forward Brison Hall (Syracuse, N.Y.) was named tournament Most Valuable Player after netting 18 points and grabbing eight rebounds in the championship game to have a tourney total 32 points and 22 rebounds off the bench for the Mustangs.
THE BASICS:
- Final Score: Morrisville State 91, SUNY Polytechnic 73
- Location: NEAC Championship Final, STUAC Gymnasium, Morrisville, N.Y.
- Records: Morrisville 23-4, Poly 15-13
WHAT YOU NEED TO KNOW:
- Morrisville State collected their fifth tournament title Sunday after defeating SUNY Polytechnic 91-73 on the Mustangs home court. With the win, the Mustangs capture the conference's automatic qualifier to the NCAA Division III tournament.
- This is the second time in three years Morrisville State has earned a bid.
- Brison Hall (Syracuse, N.Y.) was named tournament MVP following his tourney total 32 points and 22 rebounds, including an 18 point, eight rebound effort off the bench on Sunday.
- Morrisville State had three additional players in double-figures, including senior point guard Lamel Faison (Brooklyn, N.Y.) who posted 20, just missing a double-double as he dished out nine assists to go along with six rebounds.
- Justin Mitchell (Newburgh, N.Y.) added 19, hitting 4-of-6 from beyond the arc, while Kevin Dennis (Bronx, N.Y.) collected 19 as well to go along with 14 rebounds for the double-double.
- SUNY Polytechnic got a big game from senior point guard Redell Freeman who led all scorers with 32 points, dishing out five assists, while Josh Gregory chipped in 14, along with seven rebounds.
- As expected, the cross town rivals played to a tight opening half with SUNY Poly holding as many as a five point lead early on over the top seed. But it was the Mustangs that regained the lead behind an 8-0 run midway through that held until the half to send the game into the locker room with a 44-40 host lead.
- In the second, Morrisville State's offense lit up the scoreboard as they rattled off 47 points behind 59.3% shooting from the floor and 75% shooting from the line, while limiting the Wildcats to a total 33 points on 30.3% shooting.
- Hall came off the bench to net 13 of his 18 total, hitting 5-of-7 from the floor to propel the Mustangs past Poly.
- Morrisville State outgained Poly on the glass 46-33, but it was the Wildcats that held the 12-10 advantage on the offensive glass.
- The Mustangs utilized a 13-3 run over a five minute span to increase their lead to 15, and after back-to-back layups from Poly, rattled off nine more points to open the margin to 20 with seven minutes to go.
- Third seeded Poly was unable to climb any closer as Morrisville State secured the win.
- The Wildcats end their season with a 15-13 overall record, while Morrisville State will wait to hear where they are heading for the NCAA Division III Tournament opening round.
WHAT'S NEXT:
- The NCAA Division III selection show will air on www.ncaa.com tomorrow at 12:30. Morrisville State will learn their opponent during the selection process.
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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