Utica, N.Y. – The SUNY Poly men's basketball team edged the Alfred University Saxons 66-65 in the first round of the Empire 8 Championship Tournament. Cheickne Toure led the Wildcats with 21 points and seven rebounds, while Anthony Rose contributed 18 points and 10 rebounds. The victory sends SUNY Poly into the semifinal round, where they will face either SUNY Brockport or SUNY Geneseo.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
The first half was a tight, back-and-forth battle with both teams relying on aggressive play in the paint and timely fast breaks. SUNY Poly struck early as Toure opened the scoring with a layup at 19:23, giving them a slight lead. Alfred quickly responded, with Zion Baitey scoring a fastbreak layup to tie the game at 2-2 at 18:05. Both teams struggled with shooting early on, missing several layups and committing turnovers. But Alfred's Casey Curran steadied his team, knocking down a pair of free throws and a jumper to put the Saxons ahead 6-4 at 16:15.
The Wildcats regained the advantage as their offense found a rhythm, led by Rose, who scored several layups and a jumper, putting the Wildcats up 16-13 with just under 12 minutes left. The teams traded baskets over the next few minutes, with Curran hitting a crucial three-pointer to tie the game at 16-16. After a timeout at 12:34, the pace slowed, but both teams continued to battle. Rose and Daimarr Miller were key contributors, scoring in the paint and helping the Wildcats push their lead to 24-19 with 6:59 left.
Alfred responded with strong performances from Tyler Hind and Kenneth Allison Jr., cutting the deficit to 27-21 with a Hind layup at 4:16. As the first half wound down, the Wildcats hit several crucial shots, including a three-pointer from Dylan Ernst to extend their lead to 30-21 at 3:26. Alfred kept fighting, with Hind adding a layup and Allison hitting a free throw to make it 32-24 at 2:35. However, Rose scored another layup, putting the Wildcats up 34-24. Alfred's Baitey managed a layup in the final seconds, but it wasn't enough to close the gap, and SUNY Poly went into the locker room leading 34-28.
The second half was a thrilling display of fast-paced basketball, with both teams fighting for control. Wildcat Dylan Ernst opened the half with a fastbreak layup to extend the lead to 36-30, and Toure followed with a pair of free throws. Alfred kept it close, with Hind scoring a layup and free throws to keep the deficit manageable. However, the Wildcats' balanced offense—led by Miller, Rose, and Toure—kept the pressure on, and Toure hit a critical three-pointer with just under five minutes to go to make it 61-52.
Alfred made a strong push to close the gap, with Curran scoring quick layups and hitting a crucial three-pointer. Charles Amoi added a fastbreak layup and converted a free throw to make it 65-62 with less than two minutes remaining. But Toure sealed the game for SUNY Poly, putting the Wildcats up 66-64 with just 10 seconds left.
The Saxons had one final chance to tie the game, but could not convert two free throws in the closing seconds, allowing the Wildcats to hold on for the 66-65 win.
With the win, SUNY Poly advances to the Empire 8 semifinals and will await the winner of SUNY Brockport vs. SUNY Geneseo.
"I am so proud of our group," said head coach Rob Schoener. "No Marqus, Cheick hasn't played in two weeks, and everyone has stepped up! Dylan gave us a monster lift today. To steal Coach Ludden's word of the day, they showed so much GRIT! Can't wait to get back to work Monday!"
