Complete Game Notes as a PDF

THE WEEK AHEAD
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team (8-5, 5-4 Northeast-10) will play one road game and one home game this week. The Owls will travel to Saint Michael's on Tuesday at 7:30 p.m. and then host Merrimack on Saturday at 3:30 p.m.

OWLS TO HOST 'COACHES VS. CANCER' TWINBILL
The Owls will team up with the American Cancer Society to host a 'Coaches vs. Cancer' event in conjunction with Saturday's basketball doubleheader against Merrimack.
• The Coaches vs. Cancer program is a nationwide collaboration between the American Cancer Society and the National Association of Basketball Coaches (NABC) that empowers basketball coaches, their teams, and local communities to make a difference in the fight against cancer. The program leverages the personal experiences, community leadership, and professional excellence of basketball coaches nationwide to increase cancer awareness and promote healthy living through year-round awareness efforts, fundraising activities, and advocacy programs.

LAST TIME OUT
Four players were in double digits, but the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team was defeated by UMass-Lowell in overtime, 98-94, in a Northeast-10 Conference game in Lowell, Mass. on Saturday.
• Trevon Hamlet led the Owls with 28 points and eight rebounds. Greg Langston also had 20 points and six rebounds to reach the 1,000-point plateau.
• In the second half, UMass-Lowell took early control, but the Owls would not go away.
• Smith put the Owls ahead 67-66 after a layup following a steal with 7:06 remaining.
• Rashamell Vereen then gave the Owls a 78-73 lead with 3:00 remaining after his own steal and dunk. Later in the half, UMass-Lowell  tied the game at 82 with two free throws. However, Vereen gave the Owls a 84-82 lead with a layup with 41 seconds remaining.
• Smith made it 85-82 making one of his two free throws with 15 seconds remaining.
• Bivins then missed a three-pointer on the final possession, but Kennedy Chukwuocha got the offensive rebound and hit a three-pointer in the final second to send the game to overtime.
• In overtime, UMass-Lowell quickly opened up the lead by scoring the first six points of the extra frame and went on to the four point win.

LANGSTON REACHES THE CENTURY MARK
Greg Langston became the 25th player in Southern Connecticut history to reach the 1,000 mark after eclipsing that milestone on Jan. 12 against UMass-Lowell. Langston scored 20 points and added six rebounds during the game. Langston now has 1,006 points in his college career.

OWLS KNOCK OFF NATIONALLY RANKED FPU
Southern Connecticut had one of its biggest wins in the Mike Donnelly era with a 68-65 triumph over No. 14 nationally ranked Franklin Pierce on Jan. 9.

ALL-TIME AGAINST SAINT MICHAEL'S
Saint Michael's leads the all-time series against SCSU, 16-9. The Owls lost the only meeting last season at home, 109-104, in four overtimes.

ALL-TIME AGAINST MERRIMACK
Merrimack leads the all-time series against SCSU, 19-17. The Owls won the only meeting last season between the schools, 60-57.

AGAINST SAINT MICHAEL'S  -  JAN. 11, 2012
For the third time in program history, the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team played a four-overtime contest. Unfortunately, the Owls came up just short against St. Michael's by a score of 109-104.
• Trevon Hamlet led the Owls with 29 points, nine rebounds and three blocks. Greg Langston and Dominique Langston each scored 21 points, with the latter posting his second straight double-double after adding 13 rebounds.
• The Owls led by 10, 72-62, with 3:28 in regulation, but the Purple Knights scored the final 10 points of the second half to force overtime. SCSU led for the entire first overtime until a St. Michael's putback at the buzzer sent the game to a second extra frame.
• The Purple Knights jumped out with the first five points of the third overtime to take a 92-87 lead with 3:04 left. SCSU answered with an 8-0 run to take a 95-92 lead, but St. Michael's hit a three-pointer in the closing seconds to push the game into a fourth extra session.
• St. Michael's then led throughout the entire fourth overtime and came away with the five-point win.

AGAINST MERRIMACK - JAN. 14, 2012
Trevon Hamlet connected on two free throws with 1:30 remaining to give the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team the lead for good in a 60-57 road win at Merrimack in North Andover, Mass.
• Hamlet led all scorers with 22 points in the contest, and seven rebounds in the winning effort. Luke Houston was the only other Owl in double digits with 13 points, including two free throws in the closing seconds that secured the win.
• The Owls led by as many as nine in the first half, 34-25, with just over five minutes remaining in the stanza. However, the Warriors scored the final 10 points of the half and took a 35-34 lead into halftime.
• The second half was tightly contested, with neither team holding a lead more than four points at any juncture.
• Merrimack ran off five straight to regain the lead, but SCSU countered with a 7-2 run to build a 54-50 advantage. The Warriors came right back to score seven of the next nine points, but wouldn't score in the final 6:19 thanks to a stout defensive effort by the Owls.

HAMLET NAMED TO WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Trevon Hamlet has been selected to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll in each of the last three weeks. He was tabbed on Dec. 31 for his play in the Owls' final game of the calendar year against Bridgeport. He was then selected after his effort in the win over Saint Rose and then following last week's games against Franklin Pierce and UMass-Lowell.

WORKING OVERTIME
Four of the last eight contests for the Owls have required extra time. SCSU defeated Concordia, 99-94 in double overtime on Dec. 15 and then played an extra session against Bridgeport on Dec. 19. It was the first time since 2006 that the Owls played back-to-back overtime games. In addition, the last time that Southern Connecticut played three overtime games in four outings since the 2000-01 campaign. The Owls also went to extra time against AIC on Dec. 1 and against UMass-Lowell on Jan. 12.

BALANCED ACROSS THE BOARD
For the season, the Owls have seven members of the squad averaging between 7.2 and 19.4 points per game. Two are in double figures - Trevon Hamlet (19.4) and Greg Langston (16.0). Rounding out the group are Rashamell Vereen (9.3), Tylon Smith (9.1), Luke Houston (7.8), Stefon Williams (7.5) and Deshawn Murphy (7.2).

RETURN TO SENDER
Trevon Hamlet is first in the NE-10 in blocks per game (2.7). He is also No. 12 in the NCAA in that department.

KEEP THEM UNDER 70
The Owls are currently 5-0 on the year when holding the opposition to few than 70 points.

AMONG THE NE-10 LEADERS
Trevon Hamlet leads the NE-10 with 19.4 points per game, while Greg Langston is ninth in scoring. Tylon Smith is ninth in assists/game. Luke Houston is eighth in steals/game.

HAMLET NAMED CO-PLAYER OF THE WEEK
• Trevon Hamlet was named the Co-Player of the Week during the week of Dec. 17 as he helped lead the Owls to a 1-0 week.Hamlet scored a game-high 28 points, five rebounds and five blocks during a 99-94 double overtime win against Concordia.
Hamlet sent the game into overtime when he tied the game at 73 with a 30-foot three-pointer.
• Freshman forward Stefon Williams was also named to the weekly honor roll after scoring a career-high 20 points and five rebounds against Concordia.

DOUBLE THE FUN
Tylon Smith posted the second double-double of his career with 13 points and 13 rebounds in the win over Concordia. He also had a double-double in last year's four overtime contest against St. Michael's.

HOUSTON HEATING UP
Sophomore Luke Houston scored a career-high 20 points in the win over LeMoyne on Dec. 4. In all, he averaged 16.0 points and four rebounds per game to earn a selection to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll during the week of Dec. 10.

MURPHY POSTS A NEW CAREER-HIGH
Freshman Deshawn Murphy scored a career-high 15 points, including four three-pointers, in the Dec. 8 game against New Haven.

ALMOST A RARE FEAT
The Owls had five players in double figures in the Dec. 1 contest against AIC, and nearly had a half-dozen hit the mark. In addition to Trevon Hamlet (18 points), Greg Langston (16 points), Tylon Smith (15 points), Stefon Williams (11 points) and Luke Houston (10 points), senior Rashamell Vereen also had nine points.

HAMLET REACHES THE CENTURY MARK
Trevon Hamlet became the 24th player in Southern Connecticut history to reach the 1,000 mark after eclipsing that milestone on Nov. 28 against Pace. Including the statistics from his freshman year as a member of the squad at Post University, Hamlet now has 1,754 points in his college career.

HAMLET NAMED TO NE-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Trevon Hamlet was named to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll during the week of Dec. 3. Hamlet helped the Owls go 1-1 on the week. Hamlet led the Owls with 24 points to achieve 1,000 points at SCSU during an 84-75 win at Pace on Nov. 28. Hamlet also had four rebounds, four assists and two blocks. He then led the Owls with 18 points, seven rebounds, six blocks, two assists and one steal during an 84-82 loss to AIC in overtime on Dec. 1.

LANGSTON NAMED NE-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Greg Langston was named the Northeast-10 Player of the Week during the week of Nov. 19 after posting 22 points and 13 rebounds in the Owls' win at Adelphi. The double-double was the fourth of Langston's collegiate career. Coincidentally, three of those four double-doubles have come against Adelphi, one in each of the past three seasons. The fourth came against Bentley in 2010-11.

A QUICK START
The Owls jumped off to a 3-0 start for the second time in the last three seasons. The 2010-11 squad won its first four games of the year.

PAIR NAMED TO NE-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Trevon Hamlet and Greg Langston made the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll during the week of Nov. 12 for their performances during a 2-0 week for the Owls. Hamlet led the Owls with 28 points and five rebounds against Goldey-Beacom. He then had 10 points, five rebounds, four rebounds and four blocks against Bridgeport. Langston had 17 points against Goldey-Beacom, and then led the Owls with 26 points and seven rebounds against Bridgeport.

REBOUNDING LIKE A CENTER
Sophomore guard Luke Houston pulled down a career-best 12 rebounds in the win at Pace.

AT THE UB MEN'S BASKETBALL CLASSIC
The Owls opened the 2012-13 season with two wins at the UB Men's Basketball Classic in Bridgeport, Conn. The Owls defeated Goldey-Beacom, 94-77, and Bridgeport, 71-57.

IN SEASON OPENERS
With the win over Goldey-Beacom, the Owls improved to 27-36 all-time in season-opening games. SCSU has won its last three season openers.

NEW FACES IMPACTING EARLY
Freshmen Deshawn Murphy and Stefon Williams made the most of their collegiate debuts in the opening weekend for the Owls. Murphy had 11 points and seven rebounds against Goldey-Beacom, and added two points and six rebounds against Bridgeport. Williams had 14 points and five rebounds against Goldey-Beacom, and added four points and three rebounds against Bridgeport.

VETERANS HELP SET THE TONE
The four returning starters for the Owls all played a significant role in the team's two wins over the opening weekend. Greg Langston averaged 21.5 points, 5.0 rebounds and 4.0 assists. Trevon Hamlet finished with 19.0 points, 5.0 rebounds, 3.0 assists and 2.5 blocks per outing. Tylon Smith averaged 8.5 points, 8.0 assists and 6.0 rebounds, while Luke Houston averaged 8.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game.

WORTH THE WAIT
Senior guard Rashamell Vereen was an immediate contributor on both ends of the floor in his first two games as an Owl over the opening weekend. After sitting out all of last year due to NCAA transfer rules, he stepped in and averaged 9.5 points and 3.5 rebounds per game. In addition, he played a key role in defending Bridgeport's Darian David in that game between the clubs. David averaged 32 points in two games against the Owls last year, but was held to just nine points in the game.

LENDING A HELPING HAND
Greg Langston handed out a single-game high seven assists in the season opener against Goldey-Beacom. He had previously handed out half a dozen assists on two occasions. Tylon Smith also set a new personal-best with nine assists against Bridgeport.

IN THE NE-10 PRESEASON POLL
The Owls were selected sixth in the Northeast-10 Conference preseason poll. They finished tied for fifth in the regular season standings last season.

WELCOME TO THE CLUB
The Owls welcome four newcomers to the squad for the 2012-13 season - Jack McCarthy, Deshawn Murphy, Lucas Van Nes and Stefon Williams.

VETERAN PRESENCE
Southern Connecticut returns seven players from last year's squad - seniors Trevon Hamlet and Rashamell Vereen, junior Greg Langston and sophomores Ryan Belote, Jose Cruz, Luke Houston and Tylon Smith.

OWLS CONTINUE TO MOVE FORWARD
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team continued its upward climb in 2011-12 with its best season in a decade. The Owls concluded the campaign with a 14-13 mark, good for their first winning season since 2001-02. In addition, the team also finished in fifth place in the Northeast-10 Conference, the highest placement since joining the league.

THREE OWLS RECOGNIZED BY NORTHEAST-10
Trevon Hamlet, Greg Langston and Tylon Smith were all recognized by the Northeast-10 Conference for their play during the 2011-12 campaign. Hamlet and Langston were both selected for the All-Conference squads, while Smith was tabbed for the All-Rookie Team. It was the second year in a row that Hamlet had collected All-NE-10 honors.

EXCELLING IN THE CLASSROOM
Southern Connecticut had six student-athletes selected to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll for their work in the classroom during the 2011-12 academic year.

HAMLET FINISHES AMONG NCAA BLOCKS LEADERS
Trevon Hamlet finished the year ranked No. 17 in Division II blocks/game. Hamlet averaged 2.3 blocks per contest on the year.

CONFERENCE RESURGENCE
The Owls registered 21 conference victories combined during the 2010-11 and 2011-12 seasons, the highest win total since they entered the league with 22 conference wins from 2000-02.

ONE FOR THE AGES
The Owls played just their third four-overtime game in program history in the game against St. Michael's on Jan. 11, 2012. SCSU also went to four extra frames against Pace in 1996 and Coppin State in 1984. Ironically, the Owls have yet to win one of those four overtime contests.

DEFENSE TELLS THE STORY AGAIN
In 2010-11, the Owls merited just 67.4 points per game in their 12 wins, but allowed 75.9 points per game in their 15 losses. A similar trend followed the Owls in 2011-12, who  meriting just 65.7 points in their 14 wins, but 83.1 points in their 13 losses.

OWLS RANKED NEAR THE TOP
Greg Langston finished the season ranked third in the Northeast-10 in scoring with 16.7 points a contest, while Trevon Hamlet was fifth with an average of 16.3 points per game.

BALANCED SCORING TRANSLATES INTO WINS
In eight of its 14 wins in 2011-12, Southern Connecticut had at least four players reach double digits in scoring. The Owls had a quintet hit the double digit mark in wins over Post, Adelphi and Concordia.

BLOCK PARTY CONTINUES
After being amongst the leaders in blocks within the Northeast-10 Conference in 2010-11, Trevon Hamlet picked up right where he left off with 61 blocks, which ranked first in the NE-10.

ON DECK
The Owls are back in action on Jan. 23 for a 7:30 p.m. home game against St. Anselm.