ALBANY, NY— In a near mirror image of their previous matchup on January 14, the Russell Sage Gators again opened up a sizable first half advantage. The Houghton Highlanders again mounted a valiant comeback effort in the second half, only to have the Gators fend off the attack in the closing minutes to win the game, 78-67.
The first half belonged to the Gators, as Jalon Borders and Noah Girard combined to score 22 points, and the Highlanders shot an icy 26 percent from the floor. At the end of the first 20 minutes, Sage led, 41-22.
Nearly midway through the second half, it appeared as though the Highlanders might be able to play the Gators to a stalemate, but that the lead would certainly be insurmountable. But over a two minute span Houghton reeled off an 11-0 run and suddenly the Highlanders trailed by only 11 points, 58-47, with 8:21 left to play.
After battling back and forth over the ensuing minutes, the Gators seemed to regain their footing, increasing their lead to as many as 17 points when Jackson Brown hit a three-pointer with 3:12 left on the clock.
Back-to-back jumpers by
AJ Bass and
Josh Jordan trimmed the Sage lead to 13, giving hope to the Highlanders of an impending run, but once again the Gators answered.
Houghton finished strong, with three baskets in the final minute, but it was too little, too late, as Sage earned the season sweep.
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 67 | Russell Sage – 78
Records: Houghton: 3-19 (3-10 Empire 8) | Russell Sage: 11-10 (5-7 Empire 8)
Venue: Kahl Gymnasium, Sage Colleges| Attendance: 114
NOTABLE STATS
>> In the second half Houghton shot 55 percent (18-for-33) from the floor, and held the Gators to only 36 percent 14-for-39.
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Josh Jordan scored a team-high 16 points for the Highlanders. Over the last three games he has averaged 17.7 points-per-game.
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Billy McCrae finished 6-for-8 from the floor, good for 13 points.
>> Girard and Borders finished with 18 and 14 points apiece, respectively, for the Gators.
UP NEXT
The Highlanders travel to Oneonta tomorrow to challenge the Hartwick Hawks at 4:00 p.m. Houghton beat Hartwick on January 14 this year,
