HOUGHTON, NY – Despite outscoring SUNY Delhi in the second half, the Houghton Highlanders could not overcome a sizable first half deficit, falling to the visiting Broncos, 78-94.
 
The Highlanders trailed by as many as 28 points with just under nine minutes to play in the first half as the Broncos applied steady full-court pressure and pushed the tempo on the offensive end.
 
A pair of Dylan Lambert free throws trimmed the Delhi lead to 20 points at the half, but the visitors pulled away early in the second half, building a 32-point gap in the opening minutes.
 
Still trailing by 30 with only eight minutes to play, Isander Ramos-Net sank a layup and sent the Highlanders on a 13-1 run over the next five minutes.
 
Houghton continued to battle, and Isaac Kopp sank a three-pointer late to cap the scoring, but the Highlanders comeback ran out of time.
 
Lambert finished with a game-high 37 points.   
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 78 | SUNY Delhi – 94
Records: Houghton: 0-7 | SUNY Delhi: 5-5
Venue: The Nielsen Center, Houghton College | Attendance: 210

NOTABLE STATS
>> Lambert's 27 first half points were the most he has scored in a half in his career, and his 37 total points mark his second highest career total.  He has now scored more than 30 points in three of his last four games.  His 1,396 career points leaves him only 113 points out of fifth place (Darren Berkley, '93) on the Highlanders all-time scoring list.
 
>> Delhi hit 23-of-40 shots (57.5%) in the first half, including 9-of-16 (56.3%) from beyond the arch.  In the second half those numbers dropped to 32.5% and 15.8%.
 
>> The Broncos won the battle of the boards, 47-to-34, thanks in large part to 17 offensive rebounds.  They also committed only five turnovers for the game, while the Highlanders turned the ball over 16 times.
 
>> Jordan Holmes finished with 14 points and seven rebounds, the sixth time in seven games in which he has posted a double-digit point total.
 
>> Justin Daoud led the Broncos with 22 points and 14 rebounds, while Jordan Fragle chipped in with 17 points and 12 assists.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"Give credit to Delhi.  They played a really efficient game, especially in the first half.
 
"We struggled with their pressure early, which gave them some mojo.  Once we settled in, we were pretty even. 
 
"Their pressure is designed to speed us up.  The key was slowing down, catching and seeing, making deliberate ball fakes.  We had better purpose in the second half, offensively and defensively.
 
"Dylan [Lambert] really carried us, especially in that first half.  He let the system get him shots.  I'd like to see more of our guys do that. 
 
"Ultimately, they took 80 shots, we took 55.  You'll never win [with those numbers].  We've got to do a better job taking care of the ball. 
 
"We really need to fight to stay connected right now.  Things aren't going well, it's really easy to start pointing fingers, but we keep emphasizing extreme ownership to our guys.  We've just got to keep fighting.
 
"I'd also like to say that Christmas on the Court created great atmosphere.  It was a lot of fun to play in front of that kind of crowd, with so many things to going on to keep our fans engaged.
 
"I love these guys.  I love coaching them.  We're not giving up and I'm proud of them for that." –Head Coach Corky McMullen 
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders will take next week off for final exams, then head home for a week to celebrate Christmas with their families.  Houghton will return to the court on Friday, December 28 in Oberlin, Ohio, squaring off against the University of Pittsburgh-Greensburg at the Oberlin College Tournament.