By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 5, 2012) In a thriller of a contest, the Morrisville State College men’s basketball team converted six straight free throws in the closing seconds to hand the visiting Penn State Harrisburg Nittany Lions a 77-68 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) loss Sunday afternoon in Morrisville.

Morrisville State bumped their record to 14-7 overall and remain undefeated in conference play at 11-0, while the Nittany Lions fell to 17-5 overall, dropping their first contest of the season in NEAC play (10-1).

Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y.) led all scorers on the day, hitting 6-of-9 from the floor and 9-of-11 from the free throw line for a best 21 points, while adding 11 boards. Three additional teammates posted double figures in the victory, including Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, N.Y.) with 16, adding 13 rebounds, three steals and five assists in the double-double performance. Mickey Davis (Jamesville, N.Y.) posted 15 points, adding six rebounds, four assists and three steals, while teammate Hodges Sneed (Syracuse, N.Y.) tallied 11 points and grabbed five boards.

Four tallied double digits for the Nittany Lions, led by William Doyle with 17, who hit five from behind the arc. Steve Jones added 13 points and led Harrisburg on the glass with eight boards, also stealing three. Kenton Alston and Jordan Gatchell each contributed 10 in the loss.

Morrisville State got off to a slow start, managing just four points in the first four minutes of the contest, until Ater hit a lay-up to spark a 12-0 run over the next two minutes to claim the 16-8 advantage over the Nittany Lions.

The Mustangs maintained the narrow lead, until Doyle nailed his fourth three of the half to tie the contest at 32 with 1:45 showing on the clock. In a chaotic final 10 seconds of the first, Harrisburg posted a five point halftime lead, converting two free throws on a bench technical, and Doyle a three and the buzzer to send the contest into the break with a 37-32 score.

Harrisburg and Morrisville State played to a back and forth second half until 3:40 to go when Andrew Lucio (Solvay, N.Y.) nailed one from downtown to give the Mustangs the 67-66 lead.

With 54 seconds to go, Doyle converted two free throws to cut the Morrisville State lead to three, but the Mustangs pulled away in the final 36 seconds, as Davis hit both free throws and Ater 4-of-4 from the charity stripe, securing the conference win.

Morrisville State hit 27-of-57 from the floor and 18-of-23 from the free throw line in the contest, holding Harrisburg to just 34.7 percent from the floor in the contest, while controlling the glass 49-36 in the contest.

The Mustangs return to the floor Tuesday at Wells, with a tip scheduled for 5 p.m.

Women fall short in 65-62 final to Harrisburg

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 5, 2012) The Morrisville State College women’s basketball team made a second half comeback attempt, but fell short Sunday afternoon as visiting Penn State Harrisburg edged the Mustangs for the 65-62 North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) victory.

Morrisville State drops to 7-13 overall, 6-7 in NEAC play, while Harrisburg improves to 14-6, 12-1 in conference play.

Sophomore forward Nijah Townsend (Bronx, N.Y.) tallied 26 points and gathered 10 rebounds to lead all scorers on the day, while two additional Mustangs posted double figures, including Jennel Paul (Brooklyn, N.Y.) with 17 and Nijee Scott (Bronx, N.Y.) with 10. Scott added seven assists and seven rebounds to the Morrisville State efforts.

Stephanie Yetter paced Harrisburg with 14 points, adding eight rebounds, as teammate Dorthea Dixon added 12 points, four assists and three steals. Monet Cunningham netted 11 points for the Nittany Lions, dishing out four assists while Brittany Guerre rounded out top team scorers with 10 points, five assists.

Morrisville State battled back from a seven point deficit in the first half to claim the 31-30 lead at the break, and got off to a slow start in the second as Harrisburg raced out to a 13 point advantage with less than nine minutes to go in the contest.

Scott cut the Harrisburg lead to three on a lay-up with 5:01 to go, but the Nittany Lions responded with a three to reclaim the six point advantage.

Tierra Hollins-Hill (Bronx, N.Y.) nailed a three to again bring the Mustangs to within three, and Scott added two quick scores to make it a one point game with 3:20 remaining on the clock.

With 10 seconds remaining on the clock, Harrisburg forced a costly Morrisville State turnover, in which Dixon converted both free throws for the three point lead with eight to go.

A three-point attempt by Scott at the buzzer hit off the back of the rim as Harrisburg held on for the conference win.

Morrisville State returns to the floor Tuesday, traveling to Wells College for a 7 p.m. tip.

Women’s basketball holds off Gallaudet University 64, 48

By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 4, 2012) Sophomore forward Nijah Townsend (Bronx, NY) led to the Morrisville State College to victory Saturday afternoon over visiting Gallaudet University Bison in Northeastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action, netting a collegiate best 29 points in the 64-48 final.

The Mustangs are now 7-12, 6-6 NEAC while the Bison dropped to 5-14, 3-10 NEAC.

Townsend had a double-double adding 15 rebounds on the day while also having three assists in 34 minutes of play. Nijee Scott (Bronx, NY) knocked down seven points to go with six assists, two steals and 11 rebounds. Both Tierra Hollins-Hill (Bronx, NY) and Jennel Paul (Brooklyn, NY) chipped in eight points.

Britny Latham led Gallaudet with 19 points shooting 50 percent from behind the arc on 5-of-10 trey’s. Stephanie Weiss also chipped in eight points to go with five assists. Claire Tucker added five points in the Bison efforts.

Morrisville State led by one point going into half time 23-22 and came into the second half having a 40 percent field goal percentage and scoring 41 points, including a 9-0 run to pull away and seal the victory.

Hosmer scores lone goal in 8, 1 loss to Oswego State

By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 4, 2012) Todd Hosmer (Scarborough, ONT) scored the lone goal for Morrisville State Saturday night in State University of New York Athletic Conference action against #2 Oswego State.

The Oswego State Lakers scored four unanswered goals in the first period with Paul Rodrigues scoring three. Chris Azzano (Oshawa, ONT) had seven saves in the period for the Mustangs.

The Mustangs put on a defensive effort in the second period only allowing one goal by Oswego as Colin Breen (Waterloo, ONT) recorded 26 saves between the pipes in the second period.

The only goal for Morrisville came in the third period from Hosmer, with the assist coming from Alex Tillaart (Ashburn, ONT) and Tom Longland (Dunnville, ONT) while the Lakers had an additional three goals to seal the deal.

Breen recorded the loss in net for the Mustangs recording 35 total saves.

All proceeds from the game event went towards the battle of Multiple Sclerosis.

The Mustangs next play next Saturday Feb., 11 against Manhattanville College at the Clinton Arena in Clinton.

Ater records collegiate best en route to 76-67 victory over Gallaudet

 By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 4, 2012) Sophomore forward Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y.) recorded a collegiate best 25 points as the Morrisville State College men’s basketball team collected a 76-67 victory over visiting Gallaudet University in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action Saturday afternoon in Morrisville.

Morrisville State improved to 13-7 overall, and remain untouched in conference play with a 10-0 record. Gallaudet drops to 10-10 overall, 7-4 in NEAC action.

Ater came off the bench to lead all scorers, adding 12 rebounds for the double-double, hitting an astounding 11-of-14 from the floor. Ater also recorded an assist and game high three steals. Mickey Davis (Jamesville, N.Y.) had 17 points and 15 rebounds in the win, while Hodges Sneed (Syracuse, N.Y.) and Kyle Gordon (Riverhead, N.Y.) each added eight. Andrew Lucio (Solvay, N.Y.) and Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, N.Y.) combined for 11 assists.

Four were in double figures for the Bison, led by Brandon McMillan with 17 points. Jocus Houston added 12, while Tony Tatum and Layton Seeber contributed 11 and 10, respectively.

Both teams got off to a slow until the Mustangs posted back to back scores to jump out to a seven point lead with just under 10 minutes remaining in the first en route to a 37-28 advantage at the half.

In the second, Morrisville State increased their lead to as many as 19 with 9:35 to go, but Gallaudet chipped away and cut the lead to just six with 3:04 to go as McMillan drained one from downtown to cut it to 70-64.

After Hanks hit two free throws to regain a nine point advantage for the Mustangs, Houston converted a three point play for Gallaudet with just over 30 seconds to go in the contest, but Morrisville State was able to secure the win, as Lucio hit 3-of-4 from the free throw line.

By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 3, 2012) Morrisville State’s Tom Longland (Dunnville, ONT) followed his own shot and tallied the game winning goal in the overtime period give the Mustangs a 6-5 State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) victory Friday night over visiting SUNY Cortland in Morrisville.

The Mustangs are now 4-16-1, 3-9-1 in SUNYAC play while the Red Dragons dropped to 5-15-1, 3-8-1 SUNYAC.

Morrisville State had the lead 3-1 after the first period with Geoff Matzel (Chittenango, NY), Curtis Renaud (Carlisle, ONT) and Jamie Nelson (Stratford, ONT) each posting scores; Renaud and Nelson’s on power plays.

In both the second and third periods Cortland State out scored the Mustangs 2-1 with Chris Kaleta posting the game tying goal with 9:17 remaining in the third for Red Dragons.

The Mustangs began the overtime period on a power play and with 3:01 remaining, Longland scooped the puck into the back of the net for the win, with Todd Hosmer (Scarborough, ONT) and Jonathan Cristini (Mississauga, ONT) earning the assists.

Chris Azzano (Oshawa, ONT) recorded the win between the pipes for the Mustangs with 32 saves.  Jeff Molner had 47 saves in net for the Red Dragons.

Pictured from top are Meyer, Tinnirello and Key.

By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 2, 2012)  The State University of New York Athletic Conference (SUNYAC) announced its 2011 Fall SUNYAC All-Academic Team and Commissioner’s List, naming Morrisville State College field hockey student-athletes Rebecca Meyer (Morrisville, N.Y.), Julia Key (Newark Valley, N.Y.) and Alexis Tinnirello (West Islip, N.Y.) to its All-Academic Team.

To be eligible for SUNYAC All-Academic team recognition the nominated student-athlete must have a fall semester grade point average of 3.3 or higher.

Meyer started all 18 games for the Mustangs at forward and was second on the team in scoring this season, tallying four goals and four assists for 12 team points, earning All-SUNYAC Second Team honors.

The graduate of Morrisville-Eaton Central is majoring in criminal justice at Morrisville State. She is the daughter of Nancy Pistley and Ed Meyer of Morrisville.

Key appeared in 17 games for Morrisville State this season, starting three at defense.

The graduate of Newark Valley Central is majoring in criminal justice at Morrisville State. She is the daughter of Karen and Steve Key of Newark Valley.

Tinnirello appeared in 17 games for the Mustangs at defense this season, starting 16, while posting two defensive saves.

The graduate of West Islip High is majoring in food service administration at Morrisville State. She is the daughter of Irene and Alex Tinnirello of West Islip.

By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information

(Keuka Park, NY – Feb. 1, 2012) The Morrisville State College women’s basketball team got off to a slow start in the first half and was unable to recover as they fell 67-51 in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action to Keuka College Wednesday night in Keuka.

Morrisville State drops to 6-10 overall, 5-6 in NEAC play, while the Storm improve to 11-5, 9-3 in conference action.

Three netted double figures for the Mustangs, led by Dyshea Smiley (Harlem, N.Y.) with 12 points, nailing 4-of-6 from downtown. Smiley also added four assists and six steals in the Morrisville State efforts, while Nijee Scott (Bronx, N.Y.) added 11 points, leading the team with six rebounds, and stealing three. Nijah Townsend (Bronx, N.Y.) had 10 points.

Danielle Gravel led all scorers with 17 points on the night for the Storm, including three from behind the arc, while teammate Mariah Mouzon contributed 16 points and had a team high seven rebounds. Jessica Bandrowski had 10 points for Keuka, dishing out five assists.

Keuka raced out to an early 16-6 lead just six minutes in, and continued to dominate the Mustangs offensively as they held the 40-20 advantage after the first twenty, hitting 15-of-27 from the floor (55.6 percent) while Morrisville State converted just 9-of-28 shots (32.1).

In the second, Keuka quickly built up a 25 point lead, before Morrisville State rallied for a 10-0 run early on to cut the deficit to 15 in an attempt to make a comeback on the Storm.

Morrisville State’s efforts fell short, however, as Keuka held on for the conference win.

The Mustangs return to the floor Saturday, hosting Gallaudet University at 3 p.m. in the John W. Stewart Center for Student Activities Gymnasium on the Morrisville State campus.

By Courtney Cook, Sports Information Student Assistant

(Morrisville, NY – Feb. 1, 2012) Visiting Morrisville State College men’s basketball remained undefeated netting their ninth conference win of the season Wednesday evening, in an 83-53 rout of host Keuka College in Keuka.

The Mustangs are now 12-7 overall and 9-0 in Northeastern Athletic Conference play (NEAC), while Keuka dropped to 5-13, 5-6 in the NEAC.

Mickey Davis (Syracuse, NY) led the charge for the Mustangs scoring 25 points in 29 minutes of play; adding six rebounds and one block on the evening. Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, NY) and Ryan Jameson (Greenwich, NY) each added nine points while Ater grabbed six boards and two blocks.

Teddy Tuggles led the Storm in both points and rebounds with nine and eight respectively while Connor Boyer added seven points. Joe Tortolon, Coty Paige and Joe Johnson all had one block for the Storm.

Morrisville State led 17-16 nine minutes in before posting an 11-1 run midway through the first half en route to a 43-23 lead at the half, shooting 16-for-31 from the floor (51.7 percent).

The Mustangs opened the second half on a 9-2 run in the first two minutes of the period, with all nine points from Davis, as Keuka struggled to come within striking distance.

Morrisville State outshot the Storm 49 to 26 percent on the night, nailing 10-of-24 from behind the arc, and capping off 11-of-14 from the free throw line.

The Mustangs are back in action Saturday, hosting Gallaudet University in a conference game at 1 p.m.

By Brandy W. Thurston, Director of Sports Information

Morrisville State men’s hoops dominate Cazenovia for 77-49 NEAC win

(Cazenovia, NY – Jan. 28, 2012) The Morrisville State College men’s basketball team cruised to their ninth North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) win, handing Route 20 rival Cazenovia College decisive 77-49 defeat Saturday afternoon in Cazenovia.

Morrisville State improves to 11-7 overall, while remaining atop the conference’s North Division at 8-0. Cazenovia slipped to 5-12 overall, 2-6 in NEAC play.

Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y.) led the Mustangs with 16 points, while Mickey Davis (Jamesville, N.Y.) added 13 points, including three from downtown, and five rebounds. Kyle Gordon (Riverhead, N.Y.) rounded out top scoring for Morrisville State with 12 points, adding five rebounds, three assists and two steals to the tallies on the day. Hodges Sneed (Syracuse, N.Y.) controlled the boards, grabbing nine rebounds, five alone on the offensive glass. Andrew Lucio (Solvay, N.Y.) had a team best four assists.

Bryant Winans was the lone Wildcat to net double figures, contributing 12 points, two assists and two steals to the Cazenovia efforts. Anthony Wilkerson led the Wildcats with eight rebounds.

Cazenovia only lead of the day was early on in the contest as they held the slim two point advantage over the Mustangs just 2:38 in, but Morrisville State quickly responded, posting a 9-0 run over a span of two minutes for the 11-4 lead. The Wildcats struggled from the floor as Morrisville State increased their lead to as many as 18 in the first half, claiming the 39-23 advantage at the break.

In the second, the Mustangs were quick to ignite the offensive game, as Lucio hit a three just seconds in, as Cazenovia went on a scoring drought, posting just two points in the first six minutes of the half.

Morrisville State maintained at least a 20+ point lead over the Wildcats throughout the remainder of the half, showing a 30 point advantage with seconds to go, handing Cazenovia the decisive defeat.

The Mustangs were 29-for-70 from the floor on the day (41.4 percent) while Cazenovia shot a mere 29 percent. Morrisville State held the 44-37 benefit on the glass, while forcing 19 Wildcat turnovers.

Morrisville State returns to the court Wednesday at Keuka College. Tip-off is scheduled for 6 p.m. in Keuka Park.

Morrisville State women top Cazenovia 54-45

(Cazenovia, NY – Jan. 28, 2012) The Morrisville State College women’s basketball team collected their fourth win in five games, topping host Cazenovia College 54-45 in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action Saturday afternoon in Cazenovia.

Morrisville State improves to 6-11 overall and pulls even in conference play with a 5-5 record. Cazenovia drops to 5-12, 4-6 in the NEAC.

Nijee Scott (Bronx, N.Y.) came off the bench to lead Morrisville State with 18 points, adding 10 boards for her fourth double-double on the season, while teammate Jenna March (Munnsville, N.Y.) posted a season best 12 points and eight rebounds. Tierra Hollins-Hill (Bronx, N.Y.) rounded out top scorers for the Mustangs with 10 points. Jocelyn Paige (East Patchogue, N.Y.) grabbed a collegiate best 11 rebounds to lead Morrisville State on the glass.

Cazenovia’s Megan McDermott tallied 21 points to lead all scoring on the day, adding 10 rebounds, while Megan Pomarico added six points and a team high 11 rebounds.

Morrisville State led 17-14 after a poor shooting first half (16.7 percent), and played to a back and forth second period, until the 11th minute, when they took the lead for the remainder of the contest. With 8:54 remaining on the clock, Scott hit a jumper to give the Mustangs the one point lead, fueling a 7-0 run by Morrisville for the five point advantage with 6:38 to go.

Cazenovia cut the lead to one with 3:06 remaining on a shot from Erin O’Malley, but Scott converted two free throws for the three point cushion. Morrisville State closed out the remainder of the contest on an 8-0 run, as Hollins-Hill posted three straight baskets for the Mustangs for the nine point victory.

Morrisville State hit a mere 19-of-76 shots from the floor (25 percent), converting just 15-of-32 free throws, while Cazenovia was 12-for-44 from the floor (27 percent). The Mustangs held the 23-8 advantage on the offensive glass over the Wildcats.

The Mustangs return to the floor Wednesday, traveling to Keuka College for a 8 p.m. tip-off.

By Brandy Thurston, Director of Sports Information

(Morrisville, NY – Jan. 25, 2012) The Morrisville State College athletic department has named women’s basketball forward Nijah Townsend (Bronx, N.Y.) and ice hockey defender Daniel Morello (Vaughan, Ont.) the Mustang Athletes of the Week for the week ending January 22.

Townsend led Morrisville State to a 2-0 week, averaging 22 points and 13 rebounds in two games for the Mustangs. In the overtime win over conference rival Cobleskill, Townsend led Morrisville with 18 points and 11 rebounds, hitting 8-of-10 free throws in the 57-49 victory. On Saturday she matched her collegiate best, netting 26 points in the 57-51 win over Penn State Berks, while adding 11 rebounds.

Townsend currently leads Morrisville State in scoring and rebounding, averaging 14.9 points and 10.5 rebounds per game, and is ranked eighth in the North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) in scoring and fourth in rebounding.

The sophomore is majoring in individual studies at Morrisville State and is the daughter of Yvette and Desmond Townsend of Bronx.

Morello tallied a collegiate best two goals to lift Morrisville State to a 5-3 victory over conference rival SUNY Potsdam Saturday. Potsdam took a two goal lead midway through the second period, before Morello netted two straight tallies within 11 seconds, the first a power play score, sparking the Mustangs for a three goal final period rally and victory.

The sophomore is majoring in sports, nutrition and fitness management at Morrisville State. He is the son of Silvana and Carlo Morello of Vaughan, Ontario.