Second-Half Comeback Sparks Men's Basketball to Win Over NYIT, 88-75
Box Score
BROOKVILLE, N.Y. (Dec. 8, 2010) - The C.W. Post men's basketball battled back from an 18-point first half deficit to earn a gritty come from behind win over the visiting New York Institute of Technology, 88-75, in an East Coast Conference matchup featuring the Northern Boulevard neighbors on Wednesday evening.
C.W. Post improves to 4-3 overall, 2-1 in ECC play, while NYIT bumps to 2-3, 1-2 in conference action.
The Pioneers started out cold and NYIT was hitting shots right out of the gate, and the Bears slowly began to build a sizeable lead despite the home team's best defensive efforts. NYIT opened up a 10-point lead with 9:57 remaining and continued to push the offensive tempo, quickly growing the lead to 18 points with 5:16 to play in the half.
Much of the first half damage by NYIT was behind the shooting of Jahari McKnight, who hit three treys to head into the half with nine points, along with Dominic Scurry, who scored eight points in the first stanza. The visitors shot 48.4% from the floor (15-31) in the first half compared to a less impressive 29.4 (10-34) for the Pioneers.
However, C.W. Post was able to make a small dent as the first half came to a close, and went on an 11-4 run to close out the half and cut the Bear lead to only 11 points.
The Pioneers quickly picked up where they left off in the second, going on a tear that saw them outscore the visitors by a 17-2 clip to turn a 39-30 deficit into a 47-41 advantage over just the opening five minutes of the half.
Solid defense by the Pioneers sparked the turnaround as they forced four turnovers during the run and got eight points apiece from both Jonathan Kohler (Bordentown, N.J.) and Stefan Bonneau (Middletown, N.Y.).
The Pioneers extended their lead to 12 points at 13:29, and maintained the double-digit lead for several minutes of paly, but NYIT clawed back, sparked by a dunk by Kayvon Roberts. A trey by Jahari McKnight and a jumper by Roberts pulled the Bears to back within three at just over the halfway mark in the second half, 63-60.
However, the Pioneers showed poise under pressure as senior guard Gil Montalvo (Astoria, N.Y.) responded with a 15-foot pull up jumper and Kohler swished a three-pointer to push the lead back to eight points. NYIT would remain close, but the Pioneers clamped down and pushed back to a 10-point lead at 4:23, and although NYIT responded and pulled to within five points 80-75, with 3:47 to play, they posed no real threat the rest of the way as C.W. Post completed the comeback.
Shooting in the second half was exponentially better for the Pioneers, who shot a blazing 67.7% (21-31) from the field, and made 8-12 shots from beyond the arc. CWP also helped itself at the line with a 10-11 showing in the second stanza.
C.W. Post was led by a game-high 24 points from Bonneau, who made 9-13 shots from the floor including four three pointers. Close behind was Kohler, who was 6-13 for 19 points and pulled down a team-high nine boards. Montalvo added 17 points and dished out five assists, and senior forward Aaron Hall (Syracuse, N.Y.) rounded out the quartet in double figures with 14 points on the evening.
NYIT also placed four in double figures, as Jerrell Walker and Carl Kindborg each notched 16 points, while Roberts added 14 and McKnight scored 15 points.
Totals for the team included a 47.7% night for the Pioneers (31-65), making 14 treys and hitting 12-16 (75%) from the charity stripe. A 19-6 assist-turnover ratio was a marked difference than NYIT's 15-14 ledger, and the Pioneers scored an impressive 24 points off turnovers.
C.W. Post continues its ECC play as the Pioneers travel to Molloy on Saturday at 3 p.m.