Brockport, N.Y. — The SUNY Poly men's basketball team battled throughout but ultimately fell on the road, 70–55, to Brockport on Friday night. With the loss, the Wildcats fall to 17-6 on the season.
HOW IT HAPPENED:
Brockport struck first, opening the game with a three-pointer from Omar White and a dunk by Cameron Pownall to take an early 5–0 lead. SUNY Poly responded quickly, as Marqiis Samuels knocked down a three from the wing off a Brian Bonin assist to settle the Wildcats in.
Kamryn Comstock provided an early spark inside, cleaning up a miss for a tip-in to tie the score at 5–5. The opening minutes were marked by physical defense on both sides, with Comstock, Anthony Rose, and Maddox Hughey each recording blocks to keep the game within reach.
William Scanlon gave the Wildcats their first lead at 8–5 with a three-pointer off a Rose assist, and Oumaru Hydara converted at the free-throw line to extend the advantage to 10–7. Hughey brought energy off the bench midway through the half, finishing a dunk off a Samuels feed to push SUNY Poly ahead 14–7.
Brockport answered behind Camron Dyer, who ignited a decisive run late in the half. Dyer connected on multiple jumpers and a pair of three-pointers in the final minutes, helping the Golden Eagles turn a tight contest into a 35–26 lead at the break.
Out of halftime, the Wildcats looked to chip away. Comstock opened the scoring with a strong finish inside, and Rose converted a pair of free throws before turning a steal into a three-point play to trim the deficit to 43–33.
Hydara and Rose continued to attack the paint, and free throws from Comstock brought SUNY Poly within 11 midway through the second half. After Brockport stretched the lead to 53–40, the Wildcats turned to their bench for a spark.
Connor Fulkerson knocked down a three from the right wing, and Leighton Williams Jr. followed with a jumper and consecutive layups to cut the margin to nine with just over two minutes remaining. Hughey added a powerful dunk off an Alec Bartone assist to keep the pressure on.
However, Brockport answered each push. Dyer buried a late three, and Pharell Aybar added another from beyond the arc in the closing seconds to seal the 70–55 final.
"Ton of credit to Brockport tonight, they came out and played a great game," said head coach Rob Schoener. "We did not execute the way we needed to on offense or get enough defensive stops to build any momentum. Gotta flush it and get back after it tomorrow at Geneseo."
