Complete Game Notes as a PDF

THE WEEK AHEAD
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team will return to action after the holiday break to play one game this week. The Owls will travel to Saint Rose on Jan. 5 at 3:30 p.m.

LAST TIME OUT
• A final shot at the buzzer turned out to be the difference as the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team was defeated by Bridgeport in overtime, 75-72, at Moore Field House in New Haven, Conn. on Dec. 19.
• Trevon Hamlet led the Owls with a double-double on 25 points and 10 rebounds. Greg Langston also had 16 points and six rebounds.
•In the second half, Bridgeport took a 57-50 lead with 10:02 remaining. The Owls would chip away and gain momentum late in the half. Hamlet tied the game at 65 after a jumper with 2:03 remaining.
• After two UB free throws, Langston then tied the game at 67 after a layup with 44 seconds remaining, assisted to Rashamell Vereen.
• In overtime, Hamlet tied the game at 72 with two free-throws after getting a rebound on a missed jumper.
• JoJo Smith then hit a pull-up three-pointer to the left side to win the game. 

HAMLET NAMED TO WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
Trevon Hamlet was selected to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll on Dec. 31 for his play in the Owls' final game of the calendar year against Bridgeport.

WORKING OVERTIME
The last two contests, and three of the last four games 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's 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 last time SCSU played three straight overtime games was back in 1994-95.

ALL-TIME AGAINST SAINT ROSE
Saint Rose leads the all-time series, 19-7. The Owls won both meetings last season.

LAST YEAR AGAINST SAINT ROSE...GAME ONE
Four players reached double figures as the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team rallied from a 10-point second half deficit to defeat Saint Rose, 86-74, in a Northeast-10 Conference tilt at Moore Field House on Nov. 27, 2011.
• Trevon Hamlet and Greg Langston each scored 17 points, with Hamlet also pulling down five rebounds. Luke Houston scored 16 points and dished out a team-high four assists.
• The hosts jumped out to a 14-4 lead in the first five minutes before Saint Rose scored 14 of the next 16 points to take an 18-16 advantage. The Owls surged back in front and led by three at 28-25 with 3:30 to play in the opening half, but the Golden Knights scored nine of the final 11 points before intermission to take a four-point lead into halftime.
• The Golden Knights held a 34-30 lead at halftime and scored 11 of the first 16 points of the second half to build a 45-35 advantage with 16:38 remaining. SCSU quickly responded with a 13-2 spurt over the next 3:16 to take a 48-47 lead.
• From there, the game remained close for the next six minutes until the Owls pulled away for good with a 10-2 run to build a double digit advantage in the final two minutes.

LAST YEAR AGAINST SAINT ROSE...GAME TWO
Tylon Smith set a new career-high with 23 points and added seven rebounds, five assists and four steals to lead the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team to an 80-71 win at Saint Rose in Albany, N.Y. on Feb. 4, 2012.
• Trevon Hamlet added 16 points for the Owls while Greg Langston had 10.
• Saint Rose led for most of the opening 10 minutes before the Owls pulled in front for good. Leading 23-20, the Owls went on a 9-2 run to extend its lead to 32-22. SCSU carried a 39-32 lead into the locker room at halftime.
• The Golden Knights would get no closer than six points in the second half. SCSU was ahead by 11 at the midway point of the frame and led by as many as 16 points.

BALANCED ACROSS THE BOARD
For the season, the Owls have seven members of the squad averaging between 6.2 and 18.8 points per game. Two are in double figures - Trevon Hamlet (18.8) and Greg Langston (16.8). Rounding out the group are Stefon Williams (9.2), Tylon Smith (8.7), Luke Houston (8.5), Rashamell Vereen (8.2) and Deshawn Murphy (6.2).

RETURN TO SENDER
Trevon Hamlet is first in the NE-10 in blocks per game (2.5). He is also No. 11 in the NCAA in that department.

AMONG THE NE-10 LEADERS
Trevon Hamlet ranks fourth in the NE-10 with 18.8 points per game, while Greg Langston is sixth with 16.8 points a contest. Tylon Smith is sixth in assists/game, while Luke Houston is 10th 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 1,690 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. 9 for a 7:30 p.m. home game against Franklin Pierce.