ALBANY, NY— The Sage Gators owned every facet of the second half of Saturday afternoon's men's basketball matchup, outpacing the Houghton Highlanders, 53-28, over the final 20 minutes to draw even at 5-5 in Empire 8 play with a 100-66 victory. 
 
The Gators scored the game's first 13 points and never trailed thereafter.  Houghton cut the deficit to only four points on a Billy McCrae layup with 4:03 remaining in the first half, but Sage pushed the gap back to nine points at the half. 
 
In the second half the Gators came out with guns blazing, shooting just under 65 percent from the floor, including 6-of-10 from beyond the arc. 
 
After shooting nearly 52 percent in the first half, including 7-of-14 from long range, the Highlanders converted only 35 percent of their shots in the second half, and turned icy from three, sinking only 2-of-16 shots.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 66 | Sage – 100
Records: Houghton: 4-17 (2-8 Empire 8) | Sage: 12-9 (5-5 Empire 8)
Venue: Kahl Gymnasium, Sage Colleges| Attendance: 165 

NOTABLE STATS
>> Houghton committed six more turnovers than the Gators (23-17), but Sage converted turnovers in to points at higher rate, 31-17.
 
>> Jordan Holmes led the Highlanders with 23 points and five rebounds.  The junior forward crossed the 20-point mark for the sixth time this season and now has 874 career points.
 
>> Jalon Borders scored a game-high 24 points for the Gators, while also grabbing seven boards and dishing out four assists.
 
UP NEXT
Houghton will travel to Utica on Tuesday to take on the Pioneers in a rescheduled contest.  Tip-off is slated for 5:30 p.m.