Brockport Sports Information Department
Brockport, NY – The Brockport men's basketball team advanced to the round of 32 in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament after outlasting Coast Guard, 92-86, in the opening round.
The Golden Eagles are now 25-3 overall, moving into third all-time for most wins in a single season. With 25 wins, they have the most wins since the team in 2006-07 finished with 26 wins. The program record for most wins in a year is 28, set back in 2001-02.
Today's victory over the Coast Guard Academy makes it 18 straight for the Green and Gold, just one shy of the program's all-time record of 19 consecutive wins set back in the early 1970s. The team advances past the first round of the NCAA Tournament for the first time since 2007.
Devante Hagins approached triple-double status in the contest, finishing with 13 points, 14 rebounds, and six assists in the first-round battle. Tyler Collins led Brockport with 16 points and dished out a game-high nine assists.
Monte Stroman was huge down the stretch for the Golden Eagles. The senior wing had only two points with 6:03 left in regulation. He went on to score nine points in the final six minutes, giving the team a much-needed surge off the bench.
Head Coach Greg Dunne spoke on Stroman's late game play in the postgame press conference. "The guy that really provided us a spark late was Stroman…he was super clutch for us down the stretch." Dunne and his squad are still undefeated on their home court, owning a 14-0 record playing at Vlogianitis Gymnasium.
Jahidi Wallace posted a double-double with 14 points and 10 rebounds, shooting 8-for-9 from the free throw line. Justin Summers added 15 points coming off the bench and blocked three shots as well on defense. Antonio Alvarez was 4-for-7 from the field on his way to scoring 10 points.
Both teams fought hard on each possession right from the opening tip. Brockport held a narrow four-point lead four minutes into the game. The Coast Guard Academy Bears continued to grind on both sides of the ball, and took a 28-24 lead with 8:28 left until halftime. A big 3-pointer from Tyler Collins paired with important makes at the foul line by Jahidi Wallace helped the Green and Gold take a three-point advantage inside of three minutes. Up by just one point with 0.6 left in the first half, Tyler Collins threw up a buzzer-beater from behind half court to give Brockport a 47-43 lead heading into the locker room.
Jahidi Wallace led the Golden Eagles with nine points at halftime, shooting a perfect 6-for-6 at the charity stripe. Brockport, ranked second in the nation in free throws attempted and fourth in makes at the line, went 18-for-25 at the line in the contest.
Early on in the second half the Green and Gold was able to grab its largest lead so far, going up nine points. However, the Bears just continued to fight and stay in the game as they were able to tie the game at 58-58 with 13:52 on the clock. The Golden Eagles fed off the crowd and took their largest lead of the game of 10 points with just 2:01 remaining in regulation. Battle-tested Coast Guard continued to fight, cutting the deficit to four points in the final minute after forcing a pair of turnovers. Stroman made a pair of clutch free throws and stole an inbound pass to seal the win, as Brockport earned the six-point victory.
SUNY Brockport gains passage into the Round of 32 in the NCAA Division III Men's Basketball Championship Tournament. The team will come face-to-face with the Middlebury College Panthers on Saturday. Middlebury defeated Westfield State earlier on Friday, 78-69, in its first-round matchup.
Tomorrow's second-round game will feature the #18 Brockport Golden Eagles and the #21 Middlebury Panthers, according to the most recent D3hoops.com national poll.
The game is scheduled to tip-off at 6:30 pm back in the Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium on the campus of SUNY Brockport.
General Admission Ticket Prices
Tickets go on sale 90 minutes prior to game time on Friday & Saturday at the door. Cash Only.
$12 – Adults
$7 – Students/Seniors/Children
*Children under 2 are free.
First 400 Brockport Students Free with current ID
Free Brockport student tickets (with current ID) will be available at the Kinetic Café in Tuttle. Ticket price covered by a joint venture between Brockport Student Government and Athletics.
Live Options: A live video feed of the entire tournament will be available at www.gobrockport.com/watch with play-by-play provided by Brockport graduate Marty Czekala. Brockport's student radio 89.1 FM The Point will broadcast Brockport games at over the radio airwaves and online at www.891thepoint.com. Live stats will be provided by SUNY Brockport Athletic Communications at https://gobrockport.com/sidearmstats/mbball/summary.
