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Press Releases | |
February 20, 2000
Contact:
Runnin' Colonials Upset St. Rose
Darren Johnson
(631) 287 8313
Fax: (631) 283 4081What a difference home-court advantage makes. The Southampton College men's basketball team made a statement and earned momentum heading into the playoffs by downing powerhouse St. Rose 90-80 in Southampton on Sunday, February 20.
The win not only improves Southampton College's chances of getting a home opener in the NYCAC playoffs, but perhaps knocks St. Rose out of NCAA playoff consideration. Ranked No. 7 in the Northeast before game time, St. Rose (16-8, 14-6 NYCAC) is on the "bubble" of making the Division II NCAA tournament. The top six teams make the national tournament. Earlier in the season, St. Rose beat Southampton in Albany 97-76.
"They out-rebounded us up there and almost all of the foul calls went their way," said Colonial Coach Charlie Peck. "This time we were able to control their All-American, Damon Reed, with double-teams from different angles. That and the home-court-advantage helped us win. Our team was fired up by the enthusiastic crowd; it was the loudest the Southampton Gym has been in years." Southampton out-rebounded St. Rose 58-41 on Sunday, despite the Albany school's height advantage.
With 300 fans cheering them on, the Runnin' Colonials (13-11, 12-8) were on fire. Junior guard Curtis Small poured in a career-high 37 points in just 31 minutes. He made six of 13 three-pointers, including one with 28 seconds left that sent the game into overtime. Sophomore forward Jason Lewis scored 21 and grabbed a career-high 22 rebounds. Freshman point guard Jordan Sztern scored 14.
"We had a freshman, a sophomore and a junior lead the way from off the bench; it's a great sign for our team next year," Peck added. "But this year, we?re still in the hunt and we have to keep our fire and energy."
The Runnin' Colonials now are in fourth place in the NYCAC. The top four teams get a home opener in the league playoffs. St. Rose is in second place, behind Adelphi. Southampton College takes on third-place Dowling away on Wednesday, Feb. 23; then, fifth-place Philadelphia University away on Saturday, February 26. The New York Collegiate Athletic Conference (NYCAC) playoffs begin February 29. Last year, the Runnin' Colonials went 6-20 and didn't qualify for the playoffs. This year, they have already clinched a berth in the NYCAC playoffs. If they end the year with a winning record, they will make the East Coast Athletic Conference tournament. If the Runnin' Colonials fare well in the NYCAC playoffs, there's still an outside chance the team could make the NCAA tournament, something the Runnin' Colonials haven't done since 1972.