BROCKPORT, NY – The SUNY Brockport Golden Eagles held off a late rally by the Houghton Highlanders, picking up their seventh Empire 8 victory of the season, 88-76.
 
With less than nine minutes to play Brockport held a 22-point advantage, when the Highlanders slowly began to chip away. 
 
Inside of two minutes, Jajuan Preaster scored six straight points, the last bucket pulling Houghton within 10 with only 44 ticks remaining on the clock.
 
The Highlanders, however, would simply run out of time, as the Golden Eagles hit a pair of free throws down the stretch and eventually ran out the clock.
 
GAME VITALS
Score: Houghton – 76 | Brockport – 88
Records: Houghton: 8-8 (3-4 Empire 8) | Brockport: 8-8 (7-1 Empire 8)
Venue: Jim and John Vlogianitis Gymnasium, The College at Brockport | Attendance: 187

NOTABLE STATS
>> The Highlanders made only five trips to the free throw line the entire game, sinking only two, while the Golden Eagles went 12-for-16 from the line.
 
>> After shooting just over 30 percent (10-for-33) from the field in the first half, the Highlanders hit 24-of-36 shots (67 percent) over the final 20 minutes.  While the Golden Eagles made only 47 percent (16-of-34) of their second-half shots, they nailed 8-of-12 (67 percent) from long distance.
 
>> Christian Sage scored a team-high 22 points and dished out four assists, while Lou Bellamy picked up his seventh double-double of the season with 11 points and 11 rebounds.  Sage topped the 20-point mark for the fifth time this season.
 
>> Preaster finished 10-of-16 for 20 points, while grabbing nine rebounds.  He now has 1321 career points, only 29 points from tying Harold Spooner ('74) for seventh place on the all-time scoring list.
 
>> Nathaniel Gordon hit 8-of-11 shots, including 7-of-8 from beyond the arc for a game-high 25 points for Brockport.
 
COACH'S CORNER
"Credit to Brockport for bouncing back from a tough loss Tuesday to executing at a high level tonight. That's one of the best shooting nights they've had, and they were relentless on the boards.
 
"When you're outshot from the line, outrebounded, and outshot, there aren't many other areas to win. This is an unforgiving league. We took a little long to find mismatches and missed some great looks early.
 
"Our fight was great once we were down double digits. It's time to take it at someone out of the gate."
 
"Jajuan Preaster, Lou Bellamy, Christian Sage, and Preston Thomas made good adjustments at the half, which allowed us to put up 51 on 12 assists in the last 20 minutes. Now, we have to make quicker adjustments in defense and rebounding."
 
UP NEXT
The Highlanders head to Geneseo tomorrow, when they will take on the SUNY Geneseo Knights at 4:00 p.m.