2-16-24 Recap: Niagara Narrowly Escapes Fairfield's End Game Prayer

 by Joe Budzelek
(@stf_ncaa)

In tonight’s battle for sole possession of second place in the MAAC, the Niagara Purple Eagles completed the regular season sweep of the Fairfield Stags, winning 65-to-63 at Leo D. Mahoney Arena in Fairfield, CT on Friday Night. Similar to their first victory over the Stags, Niagara’s victory was a balanced attack with all five starters finishing in double-digits, led by freshman sensation Ahmad Henderson II’s fifteen points and sophomore Harlan Obioha’s fifth double-double of the season.

Winning six of their last eight games since their 96-to-72 shellacking by Niagara at the Gallagher Center, the Stags entered tonight with a major boost from freshman center Peyton Smith (ankle) and senior shooter Brycen Goodine (knee) returning after multi-game absences. However, the pair’s rust was still present as the pair combined for one point and four turnovers. 

After hitting 62% of their shot attempts in the first matchup against Fairfield, Niagara's hot shooting against Fairfield continued in the first half, hitting nearly 70% of their shots across the game’s opening twelve minutes. In the middle of the half, a seven-minute-long Niagara 13-to-1 run was capitalized by a thunderous Dre Bullock dunk.

Fairfield’s quartet of talented guards were held to an uncharacteristic start, scoring a total of ten points in the first half and were a main contributor to the Stags shooting woes as the team made just one-third of their inside-the-arc shot attempts in the first half. While the guards struggled, Fairfield’s frontcourt helped hold Niagara’s halftime lead to six as Alexis Yetna and James Johns Jr. combined to score nineteen points by halftime, highlighted by an end-of-half layup from Yetna after reining in a cross-court Hail Mary pass from Jasper Floyd.

In the second half, the script flipped as Yetna and Johns Jr. combined to score just three points, while the Stags’ starting backcourt of Caleb Fields, Jasper Floyd and Jalen Leach scored a total of 29 points. After missing all five of his shot attempts in the first half, Caleb Fields opened the second half swishing a corner three, igniting the Stags’ opening five point run. Fields saved his best play for the final six minutes, scoring ten points throughout that span. 

Despite the Stags’ defensive improve in the second half and Fields’ valiant late-game effort, the fifth-year senior was unable to hit the game-winning three as time expired. Niagara's win tonight continued the Purple Eagles' perfect road record in MAAC conference play.

On Sunday, Fairfield will host Mount St. Mary’s (11-14 overall, 7-7 in MAAC play) on Sunday while Niagara will continue their Connecticut road trip as they visit the first place Quinnipiac Bobcats. 

2-10-24 Recap: After Defeating Cornell, Yale Stands Alone Atop the Ivy

 by Joe Budzelek
(@stf_ncaa)

Both Cornell and Yale entered Saturday's tilt undefeated in Ivy conference play, but thanks to a game-winning bank shot from senior forward Matt Knowling, the Bulldogs are now atop the Ivy League standings after defeating the Cornell Big Red 80-78 in front of a lively crowd at John J. Lee Amphitheater.

In the game's opening ten-minutes, a hot start from Yale star sophomore center Danny Wolf (25 points, 10 rebounds) kept the game close, scoring half of the team's opening twenty points, but Cornell's press, combined with aggressive interior defense, made it difficult for Yale to keep consistent on the offensive end.

Near the midpoint of the first half, seven straight points from Cornell senior Chris Manon set off a 14-to-4 run for the Big Red, ballooning Cornell's led to fifteen points with five minutes remaining in the first. 

By the end of the first half, slowly, but surely, Yale started to get more comfortable navigating Cornell's press, which opened up interior opportunities for August Mahoney, Nick Townsend and Bez Mbeng to attack the rim.

Yale senior captain August Mahoney was essential in Yale's second-half comeback. With over two-thirds of his season's shot attempts from the perimeter, today, all of Mahoney's points were from inside the arc as his four two-pointers made matched a career high. 

It was a game of bookends for Danny Wolf as Yale's leading scorer started hot and went coast-to-coast scoring on the game-tying drive (pictured below) with only four minutes remaining. It's no surprise why NBA scouts salivate at his pro potential. With a mature offensive game oozing with savvy, intelligence, positionally strong handle and a deep bag of tricks, Wolf's scoring versatility was on full display converting points from jumpers, floaters, post-scores from both hands, drives and bank shots. 

Quiet in the first half, Yale's junior point guard Bez Mbeng heated up in the second half as his frenetic energy (three steals in the second half) and distribution creativity (three assists in the second half) helped fuel his mounting confidence throughout the game. 

Inbounding the ball with just four seconds remaining, Mbeng made the assist of the game, seeing through Cornell's trying defense to spot a cutting Matt Knowling, who hit a go-ahead, and-one ten-foot bank shot and converting at the charity stripe. Following that make, Cornell quickly worked their way up the floor, but Mbeng tightly contested a failed three-point attempt by Cornell guard Nazir Williams.

Following the final buzzer, the jubilant crowd set ablaze as the typically calm Yale head coach James Jones joined the student section to celebrate the Bulldogs' biggest victory of the season. 

Yale's win grows their winning streak to nine games, good for a four-way tie for the third longest active wining streak in the nation. A game to remember, the Ivy's elite will matchup again in Ithaca on Friday, February 23rd, which looks to spotlight as the nation's top game that evening. 

2-4-24 Recap: Greg Gordon's Star Continues to Rise in Iona's Victory over Rider

 by Joe Budzelek
(@stf_ncaa)

With the undeniable coaching ability of Tobin Anderson and the depth of talent on Iona's roster, it was only a matter of time before the Gaels -- whose roster is built up entirely of players who never played together until this season -- made an impact as one of the top squads in the MAAC.

After Sunday's 94-to-93 win to Rider, the Gaels are winners of five of their last six and are now in sole possession of fifth place in the MAAC standings, a pivotal standing to build from with the conference tournament only six weeks away and the top-five seeds earning automatic spots in the quarterfinals. 

With the former leading scorer Idan Tretout missing the last three games with a leg injury, junior guard Greg Gordon stepped up yet again today, scoring 28 points (7-11 from the charity stripe) to go along with six rebounds (all offensive), five assists (a career high), two steals and no turnovers, a finish that has now helped Gordon take lead as the team's top scorer.

A productive player for most of the season, Gordon's play and production has skyrocketed over the last seven games, averaging 21 points-per-game. Quickly gaining notoriety as a high-motor small-ball power forward, Gordon's growing creativity off the dribble was on full display today, especially in the defensive pressure he forced upon Rider's star forward Mervin James, who fouled out early in the second half.

Freshman Jeremiah Quigley (17 points, 7 assists, 11-16 from the line) also continued has exceptional play starting at the point guard position in place of the injured Tretout, where Quigley has looked more confident in each game, both in his ability to facilitate in the half-court and create his own offense off the dribble, scoring a total of 58 points across the last three games. Particularly later in the second half, Quigley's creativity on the floor and poise on the free-throw line has ascended Quigley as one of the more dangerous closers in the conference.

Fellow freshman Alex Bates also has stepped up earning regular playing time during Tretout's absence. Late in the first half, Bates scored two quick backdoor cut buckets immediately off out-of-bounds plays while his gritty defense pestered the Broncs, earning Bates a steal and a block apiece. 

Iona's fifth-year seniors were instrumental in today's game. Playing a season-high 28 minutes, Osborn Shema scored seventeen points, tied a season-high of three assists and snared a pair of blocks and steals while Joel Brown dished four assists and grabbed two steals in his signature hard-nosed defense. Hitting six threes, Wheza Panzo continued to show why he is one of, if not the best floor spacer in the MAAC.

Leading by as much as 24 points in the second half, Rider freshman DJ Dudley fueled the Broncs' comeback by scoring sixteen points in the game's final eight minutes, but the Gaels were able to hold on to the victory, finishing with the team's first winning record of the season.