HOUGHTON, N.Y. – Tyler McQuaid (Lowman, NY, Twin Tiers Christian Academy) scored 20 points and grabbed seven rebounds to lead the Houghton Highlanders past the D'Youville Spartans, 100-96.
 
McQuaid's total leaves him one point shy of 1,000 points for his career with one game remaining on the schedule.
 
Houghton got on the board quickly and built their lead to as many as eight points before the Spartans began to counter. 
 
With 2:30 remaining in the first half Jeremy VanDuluitgaarden nailed a three to put D'Youville within one, but Houghton responded with a 10-2 run to close the half, capped by Dylan Lambert's (Amherst, NY, Williamsville North) three-pointer with one second remaining on the clock.
 
D'Youville kept things close in the opening minutes of the second half, cutting the Houghton lead to four points before the Highlanders exploded for a 16-2 run.
 
With less than six minutes remaining, the Spartans mounted a comeback.  Over the remaining time D'Youville's Jake Socha scored 10 points and Will VanAuken nailed a three-pointer with 12 seconds on the clock to bring the Spartans within three and give him nine points over the same period.
 
Forced to foul, Phil Pellegrino (Rochester, NY, Alfred University) hit one of two foul shots in the waning seconds to seal the Houghton victory.
 
The 100 points scored by the Highlanders is the most points they have scored in a game since they defeated SUNY Canton, 104-89 on December 6, 2013.
 
The victory also gives Houghton their highest season win total (11) since 1995-96.
 
Game Vitals:
      >Score:  Houghton College - 100   |   D'Youville College - 96
      >Records:  Houghton College: 11-13 (5-10 Empire 8)   |   D'Youville: 8-16 (6-11 AMCC)
      >Venue: Nielsen Center, Houghton, NY    |    Attendance: 102
 
Clutch Performances:
The Highlanders:
      >In addition to McQuaid's stellar performance, five other Highlanders scored in double digits.  Johnathan Stowe (Toronto, ON, Canada, Don Mills Collegiate Institute) posted 16 points, 14 rebounds, four assists, three steals and two blocks.
      >Brandon Camacho (Dundee, NY, Dundee High School)—who was held to zero points in just over one minute of play in the first half due to foul trouble—finished with 15 points and three assists.
      >Lambert also collected 15 points and added 12 rebounds.
      >Pellegrino and Antonio Deadmon (Dallas, TX, Texas Southern) chipped in with 11 points and 10 points, respectively.
 
The Spartans:
      >Jake Socha went 10 of 14 from the field for 22 points and added 11 rebounds.
      >Will VanAuken scored 15 points while Marcus Clarke and Juan Rosales chipped in with 13 points apiece.
       
Stat Analysis:
      >D'Youville held advantages in shot conversion, nailing 59 percent from the floor in the second half and 48 percent of their shots overall.  Houghton converted on 46 percent of their second half shots and 43 percent overall.
      >The Highlanders out-rebounded the Spartans 51-44 and held a distinct advantage in second-chance points, 25-6.
      >Houghton never trailed during the game.          
 
Next Time Out:
Houghton stays at home tomorrow night as they finish out their season against cross-county conference rival Alfred University at 6:00 p.m.