Houghton, N.Y. — The SUNY Poly men's basketball team delivered a wire-to-wire performance on Saturday afternoon, using balanced scoring, aggressive defense, and a dominant first half to secure a convincing 76–51 road victory over Houghton. The win capped a perfect 2–0 weekend away from home for the Wildcats and pushed their season record to 10-2.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
SUNY Poly wasted no time setting the tone, opening the scoring at the free-throw line before quickly establishing control on both ends of the floor. After Houghton briefly grabbed an early lead, Kamryn Comstock responded with consecutive finishes in the paint, sparking an early Wildcats run.
Defensive pressure fueled SUNY Poly's momentum, as Anthony Rose and Brian Bonin generated steals that turned into easy baskets. Bonin knocked down a jumper off a Rose assist, and Marqiis Samuels followed with a strong finish inside to push the Wildcats ahead 9–2 less than three minutes into the game.
The Wildcats continued to attack the paint, with Comstock, Samuels, and William Scanlon all contributing baskets. Scanlon added a three-pointer at the 16:12 mark, extending the lead to 12–4, as SUNY Poly controlled the tempo with disciplined defense and efficient ball movement.
Houghton attempted to respond with interior scoring, but SUNY Poly consistently had an answer. Oumaru Hydara provided a spark off the bench, while Maddox Hughey and Alec Bartone added key contributions as the Wildcats stretched the margin to double digits midway through the half.
Scanlon connected on another three-pointer at the 10:15 mark, and Rose followed with a jumper to extend the lead to 24–14. SUNY Poly closed the half strong, scoring on six of its final eight possessions. Hughey converted a pair of layups late, and the Wildcats headed into the locker room with a commanding 41–23 halftime advantage.
SUNY Poly picked up right where it left off in the second half. Scanlon opened the period with a three-pointer, and Samuels added a pair of free throws as the Wildcats pushed the lead past 20.
Houghton showed brief signs of life behind Tyson Clark's scoring and a three-pointer from Lou Bellamy, trimming the deficit early in the half. However, SUNY Poly responded with composure. Comstock scored on back-to-back possessions in the paint, followed by a fastbreak layup from Steven Dowdall to restore a comfortable cushion.
The Wildcats then put the game firmly out of reach with an extended run fueled by defense and transition scoring. Rose threw down a powerful dunk off a Samuels assist, Hydara buried a three-pointer, and Dowdall added another fastbreak finish as SUNY Poly ballooned the lead to 63–38 with just over 11 minutes remaining.
Bonin added consecutive baskets inside, and Connor Fulkerson knocked down a three-pointer as the Wildcats continued to showcase their depth. With the outcome decided, SUNY Poly's bench closed out the final minutes, highlighted by late baskets from Owen Dake, Leighton Williams Jr., and Hughey.
SUNY Poly sealed the 76–51 victory as the final horn sounded, completing a dominant road performance.
"Great weekend for our guys, 2–0 on the road is tough," said head coach Rob Schoener. "It was awesome to get so many positive contributions from every guy in uniform today!"
