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(02/23/05 5:00pm)
It is hard to beat a team three times. The College's men's basketball team had beaten rival Rowan University by 22 and 21 in their previous two meetings this season, but the Profs stole one from the Lions on Monday night, dealing the College a heartbreaking 63-59 upset in the first round of the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) tournament and ending the Lions' season.
"The first two times we played we kind of had our way but that third time around is tough," head coach John Castaldo said.
"I actually would have rather played a team that beat us twice in a row," senior guard Kyle Burke said. "That's how tough it is."
With 8.7 seconds remaining, Rowan's sophomore guard Timothy Bowser hit two free throws to seal the playoff win for the Profs and end the Lions' season in disappointing fashion.
"We all knew it was either now or never and unfortunately we came up short but the effort was there," senior guard Derick Grant said.
Trailing the entire game and down 57-50 with 3:27 remaining, the Lions made a frantic push to save their season. With the Lions in a full court press, senior guard Mike Snyder had two consecutive steals and junior forward Scott Findlay added six straight points for the Lions to pull the score to 57-56 with 1:23 remaining. Findlay finished with 15 points.
After Rowan senior center Evan Johnson added a bucket 10 seconds later, Snyder picked up another swipe and Burke nailed a three pointer with 46 seconds remaining to tie the score at 59 and bring the crowd of 750 Lions supporters to their feet. The three capped a 15-4 run that brought the Lions back into the game after trailing by as many as 11 in the second half.
Freshman guard Matt Byrnes nailed a runner on the following possession to give the Profs a two-point advantage. The College did have a chance at a game winning shot but Grant missed a three pointer with 10 seconds remaining.
"We had guys there to try to make the big play but it just didn't go," Castaldo said.
The Lions were subsequently forced to foul Bowser and put him on the line where he would seal the game.
"We tried and had opportunities to end it late but it didn't drop," Castaldo said.
The Lions were hurt by their poor shooting all game. After relying heavily on three-point shooting all season, the College shot at just a 15 percent clip from downtown and struggled at times with converting inside shots.
"We missed a lot of easy shots," Castaldo said. "I still think we're the better team but we didn't play like it."
After the Profs opened the game on a 12-3 surge, the College put together a 12-2 run later in the half to tie the score at 25.
Grant led the Lions with 16 points and Burke added 13 to conclude their careers at the College. It was also the final game for Snyder and seniors Derek Brown, Jody Crowley and Bobby Henning.
"These guys have great characters," Castaldo said. "We've had a great run with these guys. They went down with a fight."
The Lions came into the playoffs with momentum after last Wednesday's 91-84 overtime win against Montclair State University in their regular season finale.
"We wanted to get in that mind frame of playoff basketball and tonight we got that playoff atmosphere," Grant, who finished with 22 points, said. Grant became the College's second all-time leading scorer in the first half, passing Kevin Ryan, who played from 1986-1990, with his 1,515 career points.
The victory left the College tied for second with Richard Stockton College in the NJAC. Both teams finished with 10-6 conference marks. Since Stockton took the tiebreaker by having beaten the number one NJAC team, Ramapo College, the Lions settled for the third seed in the NJAC Tournament first-round home game against Rowan.
The overtime win was made possible by a second-half comeback from the Lions. Trailing 46-37 at halftime, the College assembled a 16-0 run early in the second half that included two straight momentum-changing three pointers, including one to tie the game, from senior guard Kyle Burke, who finished with 13 points.
"I thought it was a real solid team effort tonight," Castaldo said. "We had four guys in double figures scoring."
Senior guard Mike Snyder scored 17 points and hauled down 10 rebounds to join Burke, Grant and Findlay as double-digit scorers.
(02/16/05 5:00pm)
Three minutes and thirty-six seconds was all it took to turn what looked like another New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) win into a heartbreaking loss.
After building a 58-50 lead over the first 37 minutes of the Saturday's contest against Rutgers University-Newark, the College's men's basketball team needed just one more score and a defensive stop in the final seconds to secure a victory.
Instead, the Lions went scoreless for the final three-and-a-half minutes and surrendered nine straight points to the Scarlet Raiders during that span.
The final back breaker for the Lions came with 3.6 seconds remaining in the form of a game-winning three-pointer from Rutgers senior guard Manny Rios to cap the Scarlet Raiders' improbable 59-58 comeback win.
On the same night that Rowan University toppled the NJAC's top team, Ramapo College, 89-75, the loss to Rutgers exemplified once again the competitiveness of the tightly contested NJAC.
"You look at this league and everyone's schedule and it's unbelievable," head coach John Castaldo said. "Anyone can beat anyone."
The Lions never got a chance to take the last shot after Rios' score. They failed to inbound the ball cleanly as the final seconds ticked off the clock.
Junior forward Scott Findlay led the Lions in the losing effort with 21 points, nine rebounds and four blocks, while senior guard Derick Grant dropped 19 points.
The loss drops the College to third place in the NJAC and out of position to gain a first-round bye in the conference tournament, which begins Feb. 21.
"That's the story of the NJAC," Castaldo said. "At this point, you have to be able to take a punch in this league and get off the ground. That's how the league goes."
Last Wednesday night, the Lions turned a tough matchup against rival Rowan into an unexpected blowout.
With the afterthoughts of a poor showing against Ramapo still lingering and the surging Profs entering Packer Hall on a six-game winning streak, the Lions emerged with a 75-54 victory to temporarily overtake second place in the NJAC.
"We didn't play like (those factors) bothered us tonight," Castaldo said.
To make things even trickier, the College went without two of their regular starters for the majority of the game. Findlay and junior forward Bobby Davison did not play the entire first half. Castaldo called it a coach's decision.
With the Lions holding tight to a 39-35 lead with 16 minutes remaining in the second half, the two were inserted into the game and the College immediately went on a 9-0 run, with Findlay adding two points and two defensive stops on a steal and a block during the stretch. The run was part of a 22-5 push that padded the Lions' advantage to 21 points at 61-50 with 8:30 remaining.
"We need this because from our own perspective, we haven't been playing as well as we think we can," senior guard Kyle Burke, who led the Lions with 22 points on 5-for-12 shooting from three-point range, said.
"We're thinking about getting back to playing basketball the way we opened up (the season) and I saw flashes of it tonight," Castaldo said.
Grant also tallied 22 points and Findlay chipped in eight points and five boards in his limited time.
The Lions opened the game with some impressive long-range shooting on 9-5 run but the Profs stayed on pace throughout the first half, even grabbing the lead on two occasions. Rowan never led in the second half.
Senior forward Derek Brown added some quality fill-in minutes for Findlay and Davison with five boards as part of the Lions' 46-rebound effort. Junior forward Dan DeSerio, who started his second career game in place of Findlay, added a game-high six boards.
"We did a tremendous job on the boards," Castaldo said. "It's nice to have Derek Brown back and healthy just to give us another big body to go to."
The College will host Montclair State University in their regular season finale tonight at 6 p.m.
(02/09/05 5:00pm)
The College's men's basketball team began the toughest stretch of their season on Saturday with a 96-79 loss to Ramapo College, the top team in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
Things certainly aren't going to get any easier for the Lions from here.
Saturday's game was part of a four-game run that features the most daunting competition the NJAC can offer. The final stretch of the College's regular season will include games against Rowan University and Montclair State University, ranked second and third in the NJAC, respectively, and another strong conference opponent in Rutgers University-Newark.
"This is a true test of character these last four games," senior guard Derick Grant, who led the Lions with a game-high 31 points against Ramapo, said.
The College stayed tight with the Roadrunners during the first half, leading for the first four minutes of the game and never trailing by more than five.
After taking the lead for good with 11:47 remaining in the first and entering halftime with a 41-36 lead, Ramapo outscored the Lions 55-43 in the second half and opened up the gap to as many as 21.
A second straight double-double on 17 points and 12 boards from junior forward Scott Findlay wasn't enough for the Lions, as they were still out-rebounded 42-30 for the game.
Senior guard Mike Snyder added 15 points, four assists and four steals, while the Roadrunners were led by senior guard Amin Wright's 24 points and sophomore center Rashawn Wilson's 21 points.
The Lions did get to enjoy one easy night in the NJAC on Wednesday with their 92-45 wrecking of Rutgers University-Camden.
It was the College's second straight win and fourth in its last five games.
"It's hard getting two in a row," Grant, who had 13 points, said. "We'll take it any way we can get it."
The win was a good sign of the Lions getting back to where they were before their four-game losing streak in early January.
"(Wednesday) was a good mental test," head coach John Castaldo said. "You want to come out and build on what we did (in the Lions' win against Kean) with the sharpness and crispness."
The College did just that, dominating the Scarlet Raptors in every facet of the game. The Lions opened the game on a 30-3 run, diced Rutgers' full court press with effective passing and held them to 28.4 percent shooting. The Lions won the battle on the boards 56-28 and shot 50 percent from the field behind a balanced offensive attack that had five Lions reaching double digits in scoring.
If that wasn't enough, the Lions dazzled in the second half with a minute stretch that featured three dunks. Findlay flushed an alley-oop from Grant and added a jam two possessions later. Sandwiched between those two plays was a commanding slam by junior forward Bobby Davison straight over a Rutgers defender.
"You want to say focused and try to stay sharp but at times you get a little loosey-goosey with the alley-oops," Grant said.
Findlay led the Lions with his ninth double-double of the season, pouring in 19 points and hauling down 15 rebounds. Freshman forward Mark Aziz and senior guard Kyle Burke each added 15 points, which was a career high for Aziz, while senior guard Mike Snyder chipped in 15 points and four steals.
The Lions will continue their tough stretch when they host the rival Rowan Profs tonight at 8 p.m.
(02/02/05 5:00pm)
It didn't come easily, but the Lions men's basketball team picked up two pivotal New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victories over Kean University and William Paterson University in three games this week.
"Any win in the NJAC at this stage in the season is a good win," head coach John Castaldo said.
The College had to stave off a late comeback from Kean to post an 81-70 victory over the Cougars on Saturday afternoon.
With the Lions leading by as many as 18 points early in the second half, the Cougars assembled a 30-14 run that shrunk the Lions' lead to 66-64 with 4:59 remaining. The Lions responded with a 15-6 run to finish the game and keep the victory intact.
All five starters reached double digits for the Lions, including a team-high 18 points from senior guard Derick Grant. Junior forward Bobby Davison added 12 points and a game-high 11 boards, while senior guard Mike Snyder chipped in 14 points, eight rebounds and four assists.
The College outlasted William Paterson University, one of the tougher teams in the NJAC with the third-ranked defense in the nation, for a 65-58 conference win on Monday night.
"Without question, they are ranked as the best defensive team in the league," Castaldo said. "They're going to do some different things against you. The key for us is we got it done. It was a close game, back and forth, but we never lost the mindset of getting the 'W.'"
After jumping out to an early 23-9 lead, the Lions survived a number of pushes from the Pioneers, including a 15-2 run in the first half and an 11-4 surge to open the second that gave Patterson a brief lead at 41-39.
The College was ultimately able to cling to their lead, which shriveled to as little as three with 1:14 remaining.
"We didn't play as well as we're capable but it's a win," Castaldo said.
Grant netted 26 points on impressive 5-for-5 shooting from three-point range to lead the Lions.
"Any good team defensively has some type of weakness," Grant said. "I realized early that if I kept moving it made it a lot harder for their men to guard me. My teammates also did a great job of finding me when I was open, which made it easier to get some good looks."
The Lions lost their chance at a clean sweep of the NJAC this week when they could not hold on to a 15-point lead and lost in overtime 105-97 to Richard Stockton College on Wednesday evening.
The College opened the game firing but could not keep things together in the second half until finally being outscored 17-9 in the overtime period behind seven extra period points from sophomore guard Kris Polk. Polk, who finished with 23, also scored eight of the Ospreys' last 10 points in the final two-and-a-half minutes of regulation, including the game-tying basket with eight seconds remaining.
"He was pretty tough," Castaldo said. "They just picked him up. He's a very good player out of Camden. He was tough to defend off the dribble and really hurt us."
Senior guard Kyle Burke torched Stockton for five first-half threes, including one on each of the Lions' first three possessions of the game, as part the College's remarkable 12-for-16 effort from three-point range in the first half.
The Lions led by as many as 15 and entered halftime with a 48-36 lead but could not contain the Ospreys defensively in the second half, allowing them to finish the final 2:30 on a 13-2 run to end regulation tied at 88.
"We gave up 105 points so we lost the game on the defensive end," Castaldo said. "If you're scoring 88 points, you should win the game. I thought it was more of a problem defensively. We couldn't stop their athleticism."
Senior forward Brain Hiltner led Stockton with 29 as part of the Osprey's 56-point effort from the paint. Grant netted 27 points to lead the Lions.
"The loss to Stockton has us real hungry right now," Grant said. "I think everyone was kind of in shock initially but (Thursday) at practice, we all couldn't wait to get out on the court."
The Lions now stand at 14-6 overall and 7-4 in the NJAC. They will host Rutgers University-Camden at 8 p.m. on Wednesday night.
(01/26/05 5:00pm)
The College's men's basketball team needed a late offensive surge to avoid a fifth straight loss last Monday night.
Trailing Marymount University 57-50 with four and a half minutes remaining, the Lions finished the game on a tear, outscoring the Saints 21-6 to cap the 71-63 comeback victory and snap a four-game losing streak.
"Every win is big when you're on a losing streak," head coach John Castaldo said. "It was good for us to come out and get that."
Senior guard Kyle Burke scored nine points in the final minutes, including a pair of crucial three-pointers, to spark the late comeback. The first came with the College down 57-50 and sparked an 8-0 run that gave the Lions a 58-57 lead with one minute and 46 seconds remaining. Burke, who finished with 15 points, added another three at the 52-second mark that gave the Lions the lead for good at 63-61.
"(Burke) got us a little bit of breathing room," Castaldo said.
Junior forward Bobby Davison added his only two points of the game during the comeback and also grabbed a season-high 10 rebounds with five assists.
"Bobby did a phenomenal job," Castaldo said. "I thought Bobby gave us a great lift on the defensive boards."
Senior guard Mike Snyder also contributed a bucket during the late push and finished the contest with 12 points and four steals.
"We shot the ball, made the key shots and closed out on the foul line," Castaldo said. The Lions converted 19-of-27 free throws in the second half to seal the game, which featured seven ties and nine lead changes. Senior guard Derick Grant put together an eight-for-nine effort from the foul line down the stretch.
Although the game was won with the offensive surge, the comeback started on the defensive end. After being outscored 36-27 in the first half and allowing a 48 percent effort from the field, the College stepped things up defensively, holding Marymount to just 28 percent shooting in the second half. The Saints' three-point shooting fell from 51 percent in the first half to 20 percent in the second.
The College's bench outscored that of Marymount by an astounding 50-2 margin. Those numbers are somewhat deceiving though, as the Lions' five regular starters began the game on the bench.
Grant, who is normally a starter, led the Lions with 24 points off the bench, while dependable junior forward Scott Findlay was marred by foul trouble and finished with just eight points.
One of the unlikely contributors in their place in the starting lineup was junior forward Dan DeSerio.
"Dan hit a huge three coming off the bench as a backup player who hasn't seen a lot of time," Castaldo said.
DeSerio tallied five points and two assists in nine minutes.
Senior forward Kip McCoy led Marymount with an impressive 24 points and nine rebounds.
With the win, the College now stands at 12-5 overall and 5-3 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), while Marymount drops to 6-7 and has now lost four straight.
The victory snaps the Lions' own four-game skid that included narrow losses to Ramapo College, Rutgers University-Newark, Nuemann College and a 19-point NJAC loss to Montclair University. Before the loss to Rutgers-Newark, the College had assembled a nine-game winning streak of their own, dating back to Dec. 1.
Burke and Grant each garnered NJAC Player of the Week honors during the previous weeks.
The College's game against William Paterson scheduled for Saturday was cancelled due to the weekend's inclement weather. The game was rescheduled for Monday at 8 p.m. in Packer Hall.
The Lions will host Richard Stockton College at 6 p.m. on Wednesday.
(12/08/04 5:00pm)
Junior forward Bobby Davison buried the game-tying and winning free throws with 1.6 seconds left in overtime to give the Lions' men's basketball team a 73-72 win over Kean University on Saturday. It was the College's second New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) victory of the week.
"Any win in this league is big," head coach John Castaldo said. "It gets very, very competitive."
The five-minute overtime period featured five ties and was not decided until the free throws from Davison, who also added nine rebounds on the day.
Trailing 72-71 with less than 10 seconds remaining, senior guard Mike Snyder pushed the ball up the floor in transition and advanced it across half-court to junior forward Scott Findlay, who dumped it down to Davison on the baseline, where he was fouled by a swarm of Cougars while attempting a lay-up. After a timeout from Castaldo, Davison, who bricked a pair of free throws earlier in the game, was sent to the line to nail the game winning free throws, which were also his only points of the game.
The College now stands atop the NJAC with a perfect 3-0 conference record and a 4-1 overall mark.
Findlay led the College with his dominating post play, recording 22 points, 12 rebounds and three steals. Senior guard Kyle Burke chipped in 20 points with six threes.
The College entered halftime trailing 31-30 but opened the second half on a tear. The Lions led by as much as 14 with 6:34 to go in the second half before the Cougars finished on a 16-2 charge.
Kean junior guard Tan Kesler and sophomore guard Bryan Miller combined for 12 points during the Cougars' comeback in the last six minutes of regulation, including a fast break dunk from Miller with 1:24 to go to that left the game tied 64-64 at the end of regulation. Kesler also netted a game high 25 points.
Lions' senior guard Derick Grant added 15 points but shot just 6-for-17 from the floor. Senior point guard Bobby Henning dished out nine assists.
The College shot 42 percent from the field and 46 percent from three point range, while Kean hit 38 percent from the field and 34 percent from three. The Lions shot 83 percent from the free throw line, including seven of eight in overtime.
The win was Castaldo's 100th career NJAC victory.
On Wednesday, the Lions posted a 73-52 road win against Richard Stockton College.
"Stockton's been a formidable opponent in the NJAC for years," Castaldo said.
"It was a huge confidence booster beating Stockton," Findlay said. "We were real anxious to get back on the court after the loss to Albright. We are back on the right track now."
Grant, who was named NJAC Player of the Week, paced the Lions with 26 points and hit on six of nine three-point attempts as part of the College's impressive 12-for-20 clip from three-point range on the game. Burke converted four of seven treys with 14 points and Davison hit both of his three point attempts.
"Obviously anytime you shoot over 40 percent from three point range, you're doing pretty good," Castaldo said. "You get an extra point on the offensive possession. That's a big help."
The Ospreys converted just four of 26 three-point tries for a 15 percent rate and finished with just 31 percent shooting from the field.
Findlay chipped in 10 points and six boards.
The Lions will travel to Delaware on Monday to take on Wesley College at 7 p.m.
(12/01/04 5:00pm)
The College's men's basketball team (2-1) opened their season with decisive victories over Rowan University and the State University of New York (SUNY) at Old Westbury before dropping the championship game of the Gallaudet University Holiday Tournament to Alright College 69-68 in Washington, D.C. on Saturday.
Twice in the second half, the College fought from nine points down to get within two of Albright but failed to take the lead in the final seconds.
"We felt that we shouldn't have been in that position to begin with," head coach John Castaldo said. "The guys showed a lot of grit in the end. In the last five minutes we made a frantic push to gut it out and get the 'W.' That was a good sign."
Senior guard Derick Grant added a key bucket with 1:31 remaining to get the score to 66-65 and keep the Lions well within striking distance.
A pair of free throws from Albright senior Elu Lawrence followed with 59 seconds remaining. A three-point play from junior forward Trevor Deetor with 24 seconds to go made the score 69-65.
The College could only manage a three-point basket from senior guard Mike Snyder with six seconds remaining to pull within one before time ran out.
Senior guard Kyle Burke led all scorers with 20 and Grant added 14 for the Lions. Both Burke and Grant earned all-tournament team honors.
The Lions, who were ranked No. 1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) in a preseason coaches poll, opened their season on Tuesday with a 67-45 win against Rowan University.
"Let alone what your expectations are, going to Rowan and taking care of business was a nice step," Castaldo said. "The guys played well. It was good to get the road win early."
The win gave the College their first NJAC victory of the year and also snapped a 10-game losing streak to the Profs.
"It was huge for us to get revenge against the team that ended our season last year," Snyder said in reference to the 84-74 loss to Rowan in the NJAC semifinals last year.
Burke netted 16 points and junior forward Scott Findlay added 15. Grant led all scorers with a 28-point effort.
"We're pretty well-balanced on any given night," Castaldo said. "Obviously Derick has proven he can step up and that consistency is important."
The College led by as many as 24 on the game behind 47 percent shooting effort from the field and 10 out of 22 shots converted from behind the arc.
To advance to the finals of the Gallaudet Holiday Tournament, the Lions posted an 83-54 victory over SUNY-Old Westbury Friday night.
Five players recorded double-digit scoring figures for the Lions, led by 16 from Snyder.
"It was a good feeling to be able to help my team against Old Westbury, especially after I really struggled against Rowan opening night," Snyder said. "I was just trying to help my team win in anyway I could."
Grant chipped in a double-double for the College with 13 points and game-high 11 rebounds.
The Lions' held Old Westbury to a measly 28 percent shooting on the game and a three-for-31 effort from three-point range, while they themselves converted 48 percent of field goals and an impressive six of 11 three-pointers in the first half.
The College will travel to take on Richard Stockton College Wednesday at 8 p.m.
(11/17/04 5:00pm)
The College's football team posted a 37-0 victory over Kean University in its regular season finale Saturday. Fittingly, the seniors playing in the last home game of their careers were the players who led the Lions to victory.
The Lions defense allowed just 31 total yards, forced an impressive six fumbles, recovered three of them and sacked the opposing quarterback eight times for their third shutout of the season.
Senior linebacker Steve Vogt tackled six Cougars, had one sack and recovered a fumble for a touchdown in the fourth quarter. Senior linebacker Michael Sykes added six stops and his second three-sack performance of the season.
"They have been doing it all year," head coach Eric Hamilton said. "For the last two to three years we've been very competitive. They have been the model of consistency and competitiveness every year. I think that is a credit to them."
Sykes, who was limited to seven games this season due to injuries, finished second in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) this season with eight and a half sacks and seven of them solo, while Vogt tallied 29 solo tackles and 52 total to lead all Lions defensemen on the season.
Junior defensive back John Sher picked off two passes from Cougar sophomore quarterback A.J. Roque to top the NJAC interception leaders with five on the season.
Despite faltering for just 30 yards on 21 rushes in the first half, the Lions capitalized with a number of big plays to put their points on the board.
Facing a third-and-goal at the Cougars 20-yard line, freshman quarterback Jeff Struble connected with junior receiver Alan Kotteles for a 19-yard gain, in which Kotteles impressively wrestled the ball out of the hands of a Cougar defensive back in midair while falling to the ground.
Sophomore running back Cory Schoonover punched the ball into the end zone on the following fourth-and-one play to give the Lions a 13-0 lead at the half.
A 52-yard kickoff return by speedy senior cornerback Steve Andrews started the Lions' first drive of the second half at the Cougars' 44-yard line. Struble passed 19 yards to sophomore running back Mike Markey to move the College closer to the end zone and Struble eventually ran four yards untouched on a bootleg for the touchdown.
Abbott nailed a 27-yard field goal to tack on three more later in the third.
Schoonover hooked up with Struble for a 10-yard touchdown pass to start the scoring in the first quarter. A botched snap prevented the Lions from even trying the point-after attempt.
Sophomore quarterback Chris Bell added a one-yard touchdown on a keeper play in the fourth to cap the Lions' 10th straight win over the Cougars.
The game was marked by a large number of penalties. Both teams drew 26 flags for a total of 200 yards.
"When you have a 2-7 team playing a 7-2 team, you do some things to take the 7-2 team out of their game," Hamilton said. "They tried to play intimidating, not necessarily 'X' and 'O'-wise. You have to stand up and let them know it's not going to work. Every once in awhile, you kind of get your hands dirty a little bit. The penalties didn't help us but they didn't hurt us."
Struble finished with 10 completions on 23 passes for 105 yards with one touchdown and one interception. He also led all rushers with 44 yards on the ground and one touchdown of his own. Schoonover managed his two touchdowns on just 26 rushing yards and 35 receiving yards.
Senior defensive lineman Justin Mannick added five tackles and senior linebacker Ray Bateman had four, three of them solo.
Outstanding play from the seniors, especially defensively, has been the trademark of the Lions season.
"When you have an experienced group, you got to kind of ride the horse and keep riding it," Hamilton said. "I think the biggest testimony to how much they mean to us is not how they are playing now but how much you will miss them next year. Replacing them is not something I'm looking forward to doing."
The College now stands at 8-2 on the season and 5-1 in the NJAC, and will be considered for an Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) playoff bid on Monday, after failing to receive an NCAA tournament bid. There are currently 13 teams eligible for the ECAC Southern region and only six will be chosen.
"I'd be surprised if we didn't get in the mix," Hamilton said. "If you go 8-2 and 5-1 in your conference you got to think your guys deserve a chance to keep playing. You got to keep your fingers crossed. I think our guys deserve an opportunity to play another game. We want a chance to win something. We didn't make the big dance but we want to go to the party."
(11/10/04 5:00pm)
The College's football team was stunned 43-0 by the State University of New York (SUNY) at Brockport Saturday afternoon. It was the first time the College has been shut out since 1996.
"They were a good team," head coach Eric Hamilton said. "They have a lot of talent and numbers. We went up there with every intention to win. They beat us in all three dimensions of the game. Sometimes you have to give credit to the bad guys."
Senior quarterback Bob Darnley piloted the Brockport offense, passing for 254 yards and two touchdowns and also rushing for 125 yards and one touchdown. Five plays into the Golden Eagles' final drive of the first half, Darnley, who is not usually known to be fleet of foot, broke free for a 66-yard touchdown run to put his squad up 19-0 at halftime.
"That might be the one that broke our back," Hamilton said.
The Brockport offense was explosive all game, totaling 514 yards and needing just five plays or fewer to put the ball into the end zone on six of their eight scoring drives.
Darnley kept at it in the second half, this time with his arm, passing five yards to junior running back Brian Wise for a score that put Brockport up 29-0 in the third quarter.
Wise added a 49-yard touchdown run earlier in the period and junior running back John Brown added a one-yard touchdown run to cap Brockport's 17-point third quarter. Brown's touchdown was set up by a 50-yard run one play earlier from junior running back Dan Lopez, who collected 111 yards on 17 carries.
Darnley struck again in the fourth, going long distance to sophomore tight end Mike Bond for a 56-yard score. Sophomore place kicker Adam Lanctot, who successfully converted three field goal attempts of 22, 22 and 23 yards on the day, sent the point-after attempt through the uprights to give the Golden Eagles their 43-0 lead.
Defensively, the Golden Eagles picked off five passes from the Lions and held them to just seven first downs and 139 total yards with just 47 coming on the ground.
Junior running back Gregg Silvesti managed 33 yards on 14 carries to lead the Lions on the ground. He was also the Lions' top receiver with three receptions for 21 yards.
Freshman quarterback Jeff Struble, who completed eight of 19 passes for 92 yards, was sacked four times and threw four interceptions. He entered the game having thrown just one interception all season.
Senior linemen Joe Ward and Justin Mannick each collected eight tackles to lead the defensive attack for the Lions, who entered the game ranked No. 37 in the latest Football Gazette poll.
The loss drops the College to 4-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC), 6-2 overall and eliminates their chances at the playoffs via a NJAC championship.
A win in the Lions' final game of the regular season against Kean University, however, would clinch second place in the NJAC and give the Lions hope for a possible NCAA or Eastern College Athletic Conference (ECAC) playoff bid.
"Our goal right now has to be undisputed second place with only one (NJAC) loss," Hamilton said. "Then, with a 6-2 record (overall) we'll see if anyone wants us to play more."
Playoff bids for non-conference champion teams are decided by a number of factors, most notably strength of schedule. Last season the Lions finished 7-3 but because the losses came to top teams, they earned an ECAC playoff spot.
If the Lions do clinch second with a win over Kean, their chances for a playoff bid may be increased by the fact that their one conference loss came at the hands of undefeated Rowan University, who has clinched first place in the NJAC.
The College took a 21-14 lead into the second half against the Profs on Oct. 1 but gave the game away with 21 unanswered points in the second half.
"This team deserves to keep playing," Hamilton said. "They've had a good year. Take away that third quarter against Rowan and who knows what you've got. I would hate to have that be the kind of thing that decides the season. Our guys have represented the College pretty well this year."
The Lions will host Kean on Saturday at 1 p.m. in Lions Stadium.
(11/04/04 5:00pm)
The College's football team kept their playoff chances alive for at least one more week with a 10-3 victory over New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) rival Montclair State University on Saturday night. It was the Lions' first win over Montclair in their last six meetings.
"Every game in the NJAC is important," head coach Eric Hamilton said. "You need to keep your hopes for the playoffs alive and the fact that it was against Montclair, a longtime rival, also made it important."
"This win was huge for us," senior defensive back Steve Andrews said. "It was good to get the monkey off our backs considering no one on this team has ever beaten Montclair."
Freshman Jeff Struble's versatility as a running quarterback again proved to be crucial as he rushed eight yards on a bootleg and dove into the end zone for the game-winning touchdown in the second quarter.
"In college football what we're starting to see is a more mobile quarterback," Hamilton said. "Some of the better ones in the league can hurt you with their arm or their feet and he fits that mold of giving the defense something else they have to defend."
Facing a thick fog all game, the Lions' defense paved the way to a win with another strong performance, forcing five turnovers and holding the Red Hawks scoreless for three and a half quarters.
"We played aggressively," Hamilton said. "The key is we reacted and got them to turn the ball over five times. That's huge for us. If we win the turnover game, you've got a pretty good chance of winning the football game."
The College has now forced 12 more turnovers than they have lost this season, which is the best turnover margin in the NJAC.
The defensive attack was led by Andrews, who halted a pair of Montclair drives with interceptions and is now tied for first in the NJAC for interceptions with four.
"I was on their best reciever all game so I knew I would have the
oppurtunity to get a few interceptions," Andrews said. "The defensive line got a lot of pressure and forced the quarterback to throw the ball sooner then he would have liked and my teammates and I took advantage."
Sophomore defensive back Maurice Carter added an impressive 11 solo tackles to earn NJAC Defensive Player of the Week honors, while sophomore defensive back Miles Shanklin added an interception with a 15-yard return.
The Red Hawks' only points came on a 33-yard field goal from place-kicker Bill Christopher early in the first quarter. Lions junior place-kicker Blake Abbot, who converted the point-after attempt on Struble's score to give the College its 10-3 lead, nailed a 24-yard field goal in the first half to tie the score at three.
The win, however, was not as easy as the Lions would have liked, as they missed opportunities to add to their 10-3 lead after Struble's second-quarter touchdown.
After working the ball to the Montclair 17-yard line in the third, Struble was sacked and the College was forced to rely on a 42-yard field goal attempt from Abbott, which sailed wide left. Fortunately for the Lions, their impressive defense held tight to the 10-3 halftime lead long enough to seal the win.
Junior running back Gregg Silvesti led the Lions with 54 yards on 18 carries and sophomore running back Cory Schoonover picked up 49 yards on nine tries. Struble completed nine passes on 24 tries, totaling 127 yards and Silvesti led the College's receiving corps with four receptions for 27 yards.
The Lions netted 227 yards on the game and held the Red Hawks to 198.
With the victory, the Lions now boast a 6-1 record and a 4-1 mark in the NJAC, which is good enough for second place in the conference, behind the 4-0 Rowan University Profs.
The Lions' chances of winning the NJAC championship and qualifying for the playoffs depend on a win in their final NJAC game of the season against Kean University on Nov. 13 and the Profs losing their two remaining NJAC games against William Paterson University and Montclair. A tie would give Rowan the title since the Profs won the head-to-head match up between the two teams 35-20 on Oct. 1.
In last Saturday's action, the Lions dominated George Mason University's varsity club squad 42-9 in a game that had no bearing on official NCAA record considerations. Junior offensive lineman Raime Roye, sophomore tight end Mike Bouroult, junior receiver Alan Kotteles, senior tight end Jeff Lebb, Silveti and Schoonover each had scores for the College.
The Lions will visit SUNY-Brockport at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
"(SUNY-Brockport) is a very good football team," Hamilton said. "They play some of the best teams around and they've beaten some good teams. That's the kind of non-conference team for us we need to beat to keep our playoffs hopes alive."
(10/13/04 4:00pm)
The Lions football team improved to 4-1 on the year and 2-1 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC) with a 22-14 victory over William Paterson University Friday night. The College has now won 11 consecutive games against the Pioneers.
The win did not come easily, as the College had to stave off a late comeback attempt from the Pioneers. With a 22-0 lead and six minutes remaining in the game, the Lions gave up 14 points and had to rely on an onsides kick that bounced out of bounds with 32 seconds remaining to keep the Pioneers from getting a final chance to tie the game.
"When you play 54 minutes of a 60-minute game, that's a concern," head coach Eric Hamilton said. "You can't do that. We're looking for some more consistency."
The Lions built a 16-0 halftime lead behind a pair of rushing touchdowns from sophomore back Cory Schoonover, who rushed 15 yards for a score in the first quarter and 22 yards for another in the second quarter. Schoonover netted a career high 140 yards on 20 carries for the game.
The College put its first points on the board with a 33-yard field goal from junior place-kicker Blake Abbott, who had his point after attempt on Schoonover's second touchdown blocked.
The Lions' ground attack was operating well all game. Senior running back Jim Dabrowski collected 49 yards on three carries before leaving the game with an injury and junior back Gregg Silvesti carried the ball 12 times for 73 yards, including a one-yard touchdown run in the third that would give the Lions their 22-0 lead.
The College's passing game was not quite as effective, as all receivers combined to catch just 11-of-23 passes for 128 yards.
"Our wide receivers are not playing as well as we know they can," Hamilton said. "Paterson was not one of our better games in terms of catching the ball but we know they can do better and we know they are coming around. The big-time players will have to step up in the big games."
The Lions totaled 395 yards for the game, with an uneven 267 of them coming on the ground.
"We have to be balanced and spread out. It's nice to have different people contribute but our options are deteriorating," Hamilton said, referring to the injuries of Dabrowski and junior running back Leeaire Brown.
"Those are prime-time running backs," he said. "It's nice that the guys we have are stepping it up but the depth is getting away." Despite their fourth-quarter lapse, the College's defense was solid as usual, holding the Pioneers scoreless for more than three and a half quarters. They allowed four rushing yards on 24 carries for the game and forced nine punts from Paterson's sophomore Rob Larsen.
Senior defensive back Steve Andrews provided a key interception at the end of the second quarter to halt the Pioneers' first scoring threat of the game.
"They got a few first downs in a row and started building some confidence and then they threw the interception," Andrews said. "I don't think they would have scored anyway-our defense was playing really well at that point- but I was glad to get the interception and not give them another chance to score."
Senior linebacker Michael Sykes added three sacks for 30 yards and senior defensive back John Sher added an interception and a 37-yard return. Both had seven tackles on the game.
The Lions were hurt during the fourth-quarter lapse and all game by excessive penalties, collecting eight of them for a total of 98 yards on the night.
"Maybe on our part there was a little lack of concentration in the second half," Hamilton said. "Maybe I see it differently than those who called them. Some of the penalties were uncharacteristic of us. When you are in a close game, those are the types of things that will get you beat. Next week's concern has to be eliminating the stupid penalties."
The College will host another NJAC game against Western Connecticut State University on Saturday at 2 p.m.
(09/29/04 4:00pm)
The College's football team improved to 3-0 on Saturday, routing Southern Virginia University 61-0 for its second straight shutout victory.
"We were happy that everyone got on the field and played hard to keep the shutout," head coach Eric Hamilton said. "That sense of pride is important but if you ask any of our players, as long as we have one more point than the bad guys, that's what it is all about."
The Lions defense allowed just 123 total yards and seven first downs, while forcing six punts to hand the Knights their third loss of the season.
The offense was firing on all cylinders from the start as well, collecting 518 total yards and scoring on its first nine drives of the game.
"It was very important for us to come out and get established right off the bat against an opponent we know we should have beaten," Hamilton said.
The Lions did just that, jumping out to a 34-0 lead at halftime.
Junior receiver Alan Kotteles connected with freshman quarterback Jeff Struble twice for touchdowns of 32 and 11 yards in the first half as part of the Lions' fiery start.
Junior running back Leeaire Brown ran six yards for a touchdown in the first quarter and caught a 43-yard touchdown pass in the third from sophomore quarterback Chris Bell. Sophomore running back Cory Schoonover added a pair of scores as well, one on a 61-yard in the third quarter and another on a five-yard run in the second quarter.
The Lions moved the ball at will all game, converting an impressive seven out of 11 third-down attempts and both of their fourth-down tries, while their defense kept the Knights to convert just two out of 12 third-down tries.
Senior receiver Joe Bergondo added a six-yard touchdown reception from junior quarterback Nick D'Aconti in the second quarter, while sophomore running back Derek Thompson and sophomore quarterback Spencer Gaskill each had short rushing touchdowns in the third quarter.
Junior place-kicker converted four of five attempts and freshman Matt D'Alessio connected on three out of four.
The Lions netted 278 yards on the ground on 44 carries and 240 yards through the air. Schoonover led the rushing attack with 132 yards on 10 carries and junior running back Gregg Silvesti added 53 yards on 12 carries. Struble completed eight of 11 passes for 127 yards and Kotteles led all receivers with 77 yards on five receptions.
Defensively, the Lions were led by senior linebacker James Smith with six tackles, four of them solo, and freshman linebacker Charles Bachi with five stops. Junior defensive back John Sher added an interception and 15-yard return.
The College's offensive onslaught fell just three points shy of the school's all-time record for most points in a single game.
Hamilton indicated that the blow-out win against Southern Virginia, which is only in its second year of play, is not a good measure of where the Lions will stand this season.
"We're still an unknown quantity," he said. "We got a good win against LaSalle. We have experienced a lot of things but we don't really have a handle on where we are. But we are definitely going to find out Friday against Rowan."
"These two shutouts give our defense a lot of confidence going into the Rowan game and show we have the potential to be a great defense," senior defensive back Steve Andrews said. "The three teams we played so far are good teams but Rowan is a great team. People are still going to doubt how good our defense is until we play some good competition. The Rowan game is going to show people just how good we really are."
The Lions will look to keep their unbeaten streak alive when they host their rival, Rowan on Friday at 7 p.m.
"(Rowan) had the week off and crushed Western Connecticut the week before," Hamilton said. "They will certainly be ready for us."
(09/22/04 4:00pm)
The College's football team narrowly edged Division I-AA LaSalle 6-0 on Saturday afternoon to improve to 2-0 on the season.
Faced with a horrendously rain-soaked field, the Lions' defense held the Explorers scoreless. Sophomore running back Cory Schoonover blocked a punt and returned it 30 yards for a touchdown and the only score of the game in the second quarter, coming away with the win.
"As we went from playing on a grass field to a quagmire, whoever scored first was really going to have the leg up because it became so difficult to get into the end zone," head coach Eric Hamilton said.
The blocked punt came with LaSalle pinned on their own 30-yard line and junior place kicker Blake Abbot followed by missing the extra point attempt.
That was all the scoring the College would need though, as their defense kept a tight hold on the Explorers the whole game, limiting them to 27 total yards and just three first downs on 47 total tries.
"Our defense is really starting to come together," senior defensive back Steve Andrews said. "Since the goal line stand at Cortland, we haven't given up 50 yards I don't think. It really set us off and we have kept it going."
The muddy field and rain turned out to be to the Lions' advantage as it kept LaSalle away from their strong passing game.
"They throw the ball a lot but today you couldn't do that," Andrews said. "Our front seven is too strong against the run. If we play an offense who runs the football a lot, the game won't be close because those guys are really just that good. LaSalle was forced to play to our strength and I think the stats show that they didn't have much too much success."
Hamilton said the weather had a tremendous effect on the game.
"It changed everything you try to do and changes the way you want to play," he said. "With their offense and defense, the weather played right into our hands but it hurt us offensively as well, which is why we struggled to get into the end zone."
Although they were held scoreless offensively, the Lions did have more success moving the ball on offense than the Explorers, managing 147 total yards on 64 plays. Junior running back Gregg Silvesti netted 89 yards on 27 carries and freshman quarterback Jeff Struble came off the bench to complete 3-of-10 passes for 38 total yards.
The tight win was a good measure of retribution for the Lions, who blew a 24-7 halftime lead last season against LaSalle.
"Because it was a game last year that we let get away, this was a good opportunity to play better and avenge a tough loss," Hamilton said.
Andrews agreed. "We knew we were better than them and we were out for revenge," he said. "Last year we were better than them but we didn't get the job done so we wanted to win this one a lot."
Senior lineman Justin Mannick led the Lions' defensive effort with eight tackles, four of them for a loss.
Senior linebacker Steve Vogt and sophomore defensive back Miles Shanklin recorded six stops each and Shanklin added an interception to stymie a fourth-quarter drive from LaSalle.
The Lions will look to improve to 3-0 as they host their home opener Saturday at 1 p.m. against Southern Virginia University.
"They were a relatively young program last year and we didn't know much about them," Hamilton said. "It's going to be important for us to come out this year and get the leg up on them seeing as how it's our first home game of the year."
(09/15/04 4:00pm)
The Lions football team won its season opener against SUNY Cortland 17-14 in comeback fashion on Saturday, picking up its first New Jersey Athletic Conference victory of the year.
"It was very important for us to start the season off with a win because if we didn't beat Cortland, who is an NJAC rival, the chances of the playoffs for us become very slim," senior defensive back Steve Andrews said. "We play a very hard schedule and we have to beat every NJAC team for our best shot at the playoffs."
Junior placekicker Blake Abbot nailed a game-winning 23-yard field goal with five minutes and five seconds remaining while freshman backup quarterback Jeff Struble completed six of eight passes for 123 yards on the College's final two scoring drives to cap the come-from-behind victory.
Trailing 14-7 in the fourth quarter, Struble entered the game for junior starting quarterback Nick D'Aconti and hit junior wide receiver Alan Kotteles with a 46-yard pass to move the Lions to the Cortland 27-yard line. Two plays later, junior running back Gregg Silvesti ran 27 yards untouched for the game-tying touchdown.
The Lions' defense forced the Red Dragons to punt on their following possession and the Lions began the game-winning drive from their own 18-yard line with 12:08 remaining.
Faced with third-and-15 after a Cortland sack, Struble connected with sophomore running back Cory Schoonover for a deep 35-yard pass. Two plays later, Struble scrambled 13 yards to a first down and Cortland's 39-yard line.
Head coach Eric Hamilton said although Struble was going to play in the game regardless, he opted to use the freshman during the fourth quarter because he's an effective runner and puts more pressure on the defense.
"We needed the change," he said. "The offense was struggling and we tried to get a kick start. (Struble) gave us another dimension to our offense and kind of got us going."
"Our quarterbacks were being pressured a lot in the second half so I think Struble was a little better at getting away from the rush," Andrews said. "Both quarterbacks played well, but sometimes in a football game something different provides a spark and Struble really gave us that."
Struble then completed a five-yard pass to Kotteles and a 21-yard pass to Schoonover to march the Lions down to the Cortland 13-yard line. Two more rushes for three yards from Silvesti and a three-yard scramble from Struble put the Lions at fourth-and-three on the Cortland 6-yard line.
Abbot, who had missed a 48-yard attempt in the second quarter, came in and converted a 23-yard field goal to give the College its 17-14 lead.
Senior linebacker Ray Bateman put an end to the Red Dragons' final drive and sealed the victory by intercepting a pass from freshman quarterback Alex Smith with 3:19 to go.
"Any NJAC victory is extremely important and this one as no different," sophomore wide receiver Ryan Ross said. "We were really happy to go up to Cortland and get a win. It was a great way to start the season."
It was the Lions defense that held the Red Dragons' offense scoreless throughout the second half and kept the game within reach for the offense. Cortland's only second half points came off a fumble recovered for a touchdown against the College's offense.
At the start of the third quarter, the Cortland offense moved the ball to the Lions' 2-yard line but was stopped by the College's defense on four straight attempts to put the ball in the end zone for a goal-line stand.
"The goal-line stand was probably the most impressive thing I have seen our defense do in my four years here," Andrews said. "We weren't playing up to our potential and the fact that Cortland even got to the goal line showed us we weren't doing it. We stepped it up and from that moment on I really don't think Cortland gained any positive yardage."
The College put its first seven points on the board in the first quarter thanks to 54 rushing yards on 10 carries from Silvesti, who totaled 93 on 27 carries in the game, and a yard touchdown pass from D'Aconti to senior wide receiver Joe Bergondo.
"The whole team was able to put it together, from the great defensive play, to our offense getting it done when we had to and the special teams doing their jobs," Bergondo said.
Senior linebacker Steve Vogt picked up 11 tackles, nine of them solo, while junior linebacker Josh Baker had seven tackles.
The Lions will travel to Philadelphia to take on LaSalle University at 1 p.m. on Saturday.
"They knocked us off last year," Hamilton said. "We had a 24-7 lead at halftime. We let one get away. It would be nice to go down and get a win against a nice division I-AA non-scholarship team."
(04/07/04 4:00pm)
The College's softball team lost both games of a doubleheader against Ramapo College on Saturday night.
They also split a doubleheader with rival Rowan University last Tuesday. This put the Lions at 13-8-1 and 3-3 in the New Jersey Athletic Conference (NJAC).
Despite losing 1-0 in the first game on Saturday, junior pitcher Jessica Donohue put the Lions in position to win the first game against Ramapo with another solid outing, giving up just one run in seven innings on a fielder's choice in the top of the first.
The College's offense could only manage two hits off Rowan's senior Jaime Anzaldi, who picked up the win to go 8-1. Donohue dropped to 8-2 despite her stellar effort.
The Lions lost their second game against Ramapo as freshman pitchers Jessica Kohut and Heather Hoffman combined to give up six runs in six innings. Hoffman picked up the loss to drop to 2-3.
Junior outfielder Kristen Zimmerman went 3-for-3 and freshman infielder Erin Cusmano was 2-for-4 with a double, a run scored and an RBI.
Head coach Sally Miller remains optimistic. "We're right in every game right now," she said "We're competing and we have a lot of talent. I think we have the ability to do some really good things."
Earlier in the week, the Lions defeated Rowan in the first game, 1-0, and dropped the second one 4-1.
"I thought for both games we were there," Miller said about the doubleheader against Rowan. "It wasn't a matter of us not showing up. Every inning it was neck-in-neck. Our offense made some adjustments and made their defense play us."
In the top of the seventh of the first game, Kohut hit a game winning double to the fence with the outfield in to score Zimmerman, who led off the inning with a single.
"In my last at bat, it was a tight situation with a runner on first and all I was thinking about was advancing her into scoring position," Kohut said. "I just saw the ball and connected with it really well. It felt great to come through for the team."
Donohue kept the Lions within striking distance all game, tossing a complete game one-hitter and striking out eight. She improved to 8-1 on the year while Rowan sophomore Colleen Oswald, who gave up one run on two hits in seven innings, dropped to 8-2.
"(Donohue) is definitely the most consistent player for us this year," Miller said. "That's what we're trying to get from other younger pitchers. We want to know when we put them out there what to expect. We know what is going to happen when Jess takes the mound."
Pitching inconsistency was a factor for the College in the second game and against Ramapo. Hoffman lasted just two innings in her start against Rowan, beginning the game with a walk to sophomore infielder Danielle Schweers, who was singled in by junior outfielder Nicole Panikiewsky.
Kohut picked up the loss, surrendering three runs on seven hits in five innings of relief. She is now 3-2.
"We need to keep these in our own hands," Miller said. "Taking control early on is something I think we are capable of doing."
The Lions play two games against Montclair State University at home on Saturday at 1 p.m.