Le_Moyne, UNH_Game_Notes (pdf)

BACK AT IT
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team returns to Northeast-10 Conference play this week.  SCSU travels to Le Moyne on Thursday night before hosting New Haven on Sunday afternoon.

ALL-TIME AGAINST LE MOYNE
Southern Connecticut trails the all-time series with the Dolphins, 19-11.

ALL-TIME AGAINST UNH
The Chargers lead the all-time series 41-32.

SMITH SETS CAREER-HIGH IN BRIDGEPORT WIN
Tylon Smith tallied a career-high 37 points to spur the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team to a 97-90 non-conference victory over Bridgeport on Dec. 16. The Owls' tri-captain went 12-of-15 from the floor and 12-of-15 from the free throw line.  Smith also grabbed six rebounds, dished out five assists and had three steals.
• Five players scored in double figures for the Owls. Freshman Michael Mallory  matched a career-high with 17 points while Deshawn Murphy had 13 points and five rebounds. Greg Langston had 11 and Luke Houston totaled 10 points and a tied a career-high with five steals.
• The Owls went on a 17-8 run in the middle of the half to go up 10, 28-18, with 7:26 remaining before the break. Lucas Van Nes recorded all six of his points during the stretch.
• Bridgeport responded with three straight three pointers in less than a minute to get right back into the thick of things.The Purple Knights led 41-40 with 1:35 left.
• From there the Owls, who shot 50% in the first half, went on an 8-1 scoring spree to lead 48-42 at the intermission.
• Southern Connecticut opened the second half fast to take a 71-52 lead with 11:14 left in the game.  The 19-point advantage was the largest lead for either team.
• Bridgeport slowly but surely cut into its deficit, trailing only a made shot from beyond the arc, 91-88 with 1:27 to go. Smith and Murphy were able to knock down their foul shots to secure the Owls' victory.
• The Purple Knights received a double-double from Sean Berry, 23 points and 14 rebounds.
• For the game, the Owls, who forced 25 turnovers, shot 52% from the floor.

OWLS AMONG NCAA LEADERS
• Greg Langston ranks tenth in Division II averaging 24.4 points per game.
• Tylon Smith places 21st in assists per game, averaging 6.2 helpers through the first five games of the season.
• SCSU ranks fourth in Division II in three point field goal defense.  Opponents are shooting 23.7 percent (32-of-135) from behind the arc (as of Dec. 15).

MURPHY AND LANGSTON ON NE-10 HONOR ROLL
Greg Langston and Deshawn Murphy were named to the Northeast-10 weekly honor roll on Dec. 9 for their performances against Saint Rose and AIC.
• In SCSU's defeat of Saint Rose, 76-65 on Dec. 4, Langston totaled 17 of his game-high 20 points in the second half. The senior guard, also had five rebounds, two steals and an assist.  Murphy came off the bench to add 15 points in his first game of the year.
• In the Owls' 80-70, victory over AIC on Dec. 7, Langston led all scorers with 24 points. The senior guard also grabbed six rebounds; while Murphy recorded a double-double, scoring 23 points and snagging 11 rebounds in his first start of the season.

WELCOME BACK
Deshawn Murphy and Jack McCarthy made an impact when they returned to the court in early December.
• Murphy scored 15 points off the bench against Saint Rose on Dec. 4 and then recorded a double-double, scoring 23 points and snagging 11 rebounds, when he started in the Owls win over AIC, 80-70, on Dec. 7.  It was the sophomore's first career double-double.
• McCarthy grabbed a career-high seven rebounds against Saint Rose on Dec. 4.

ON THE GLASS
SCSU averages 42.9 boards per game, tops in the Northeast-10 Conference. Luke Houston leads the team with 6.8 rebounds per game.

MALLORY MAKES A MARK
Freshman guard Michael Mallory has stepped right into the Owls' rotation this season. He finished with 17 points, along with six rebounds, in the season-opener against Molloy. In 2013-14, Mallory has averaged 12.9 points per game and 4.1 rebounds per game.

CAPTAINS CARRY THE LOAD
Owls' tri-captains Greg Langston, Luke Houston and Tylon Smith have carried the scoring load for the team. At the Bridgeport Tournament, the three guards accounted for just shy of 69% of SCSU's points.
• As of Dec. 15, Langston, who leads the Owls with 24.4 points per game, leads the NE-10 in scoring average.
• Smith, who set a team-high with 37 points versus Bridgeport on Dec. 16, leads the team with 6.0 assists per game.
• Houston, who recorded a double-double at Concordia, tops SCSU with 6.8 rebounds per game.

IT'S BEEN AWHILE
The Dec. 7 victory marked the first time since the 2001-02 season that Southern Connecticut won at AIC.

LANGSTON EARNS NE-10 HONORS
Greg Langston was named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll five times this season:
• Against Pace on Nov. 26, the senior recorded a double-double in defeat. Langston, who led all scorers with 25 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and was one of five players to score in double figures for Southern Connecticut (Dec. 2.).
• In the Owls' 80-52 victory over Adelphi on Nov. 20,  Langston topped all scorers with 24 points. The Owls' senior, who went 12-for-19 from the floor, also grabbed six rebounds (Nov. 25).
• In the Owls' 98-74 victory over Concordia on Nov. 15,  Langston led all scorers with 28 points. The senior guard also had six rebounds and dished out three assists (Nov. 18).
• Averaged 25.0 points per game at the Bridgeport Classic (Nov. 11).

BALANCED ATTACK
The Owls had five players score in double figures in three of the first five games.

WILLIAMS CRASHES THE BOARDS
Stefon Williams recorded season-high 14 points and seven rebounds at Pace on Nov. 26. The sophomore had a team-high 10 rebounds in the exhibition against UConn.

LANGSTON DOUBLE-DOUBLE
Greg Langston tallied the sixth double-double (25 points, 14 rebounds) of his career at Pace on Nov. 26.

CRUZ CONTROL
Jose Cruz scored a season-high seven points against Adelphi.  The junior shot 100-percent from the floor and had three rebounds.

HOUSTON EARNS NE-10 HONORS
Luke Houston was named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll on Nov. 18.
• Houston recorded a double-double for the Owls against Concordia. The junior scored 15 points to go along with 10 rebounds.

SMITH NAMED NE-10 PLAYER OF THE WEEK
Tylon Smith, instrumental in SCSU earning two victories at the Bridgeport Men's Basketball Classic, was named the Northeast-10 Spalding Player of the Week on Nov. 11.
• In the Owls' 93-77 win over Molloy, the junior registered 22 points along with team-highs of 10 assists and eight rebounds. It was the seventh career double-double for the Owls' tri-captain.
• The following night, Smith had 12 of his 19 points in the second half to help SCSU earn the victory over Bridgeport, 77-73. The Owls' guard grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists.

SCSU WINS TWICE AT BRIDGEPORT CLASSIC
Southern Connecticut opened the 2013-14 season with two victories at the Bridgeport Men's Basketball Classic, defeating Molloy, 93-77, on Nov. 9 and host Bridgeport, 77-73, on Nov. 10.
• Against Molloy, five players scored in double figures, led by a double-double from tri-captain Tylon Smith. The junior guard registered 22 points along with team-highs of 10 assists and eight rebounds. Greg Langston led all scorers in the game with 24 points. Luke Houston and Michael Mallory each posted 17 for the Owls, while Stefon Williams added 10.
• The following night, Smith had 12 of his 19 points in the second half to help SCSU earn the victory over Bridgeport. The guard grabbed five rebounds and dished out seven assists. Greg Langston led all scorers with 26 points. The senior guard also grabbed six rebounds.

IN THE PRESEASON NE-10 COACHES POLL
In the release of the Northeast-10 Conference preseason coaches' poll, the Owls were picked second in the Southwest Division. SCSU received 70 points, including one first place vote, tied for second with Saint Rose and behind the University of New Haven. 

IN SEASON OPENERS
The Owls are 28-36 all-time in season-opening games. SCSU has won its last four season openers, including an 93-77 win over Molloy to start this year.

A LOOK BACK AT THE URI GAME
SCSU held a one-point lead at halftime, but the University of Rhode Island outscored the Owls by a 52-35 margin the second half to claim a 93-77 win in an exhibition contest on Nov. 1.
• Greg Langston led the Owls with 21 points in the contest. Michael Mallory added 19 points and five rebounds, while Tylon Smith chipped in 12 points, along with team-highs of seven rebounds, four assists and three steals.

A LOOK BACK AT THE UCONN GAME
Senior forward Greg Langston finished with 18 points, but the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team dropped a 93-65 decision to No. 18/19 nationally ranked University of Connecticut in an exhibition contest on Oct. 30.
• Michael Mallory also reached double figures in the contest as he scored 13 for the Owls. Luke Houston and Austin Carter added nine points each.
• After a jumper from UConn's Shabazz Napier to open the scoring, the Owls went in front on a three-pointer from Langston. The Huskies followed with an 8-0 run to take a 10-3 lead. Southern Connecticut countered with a spurt to cut the gap to 18-14 with just over nine minutes left in the opening frame. The lead was just 23-16 approaching the eight minute timeout.
• However, the Huskies closed the half on a spurt that allowed them to extend their lead to 44-28 at the break.
• The Huskies outscored the Owls by a 49-37 margin in the second half to make it a 93-65 final.

MAKING STRIDES ON THE GLASS
Southern Connecticut outrebounded UConn by a 48-43 margin in its exhibition opener.

NEW ARRIVALS
The Owls welcome five newcomers to the squad for the 2013-14 season - Michael Mallory, Austin Carter, Michael Bozzuto, Jonathan Paul and Dominic Migliaro.

HELLO AGAIN
Southern Connecticut returns eight players from last year's squad - senior Greg Langston, juniors Jose Cruz, Luke Houston and Tylon Smith and sophomores Stefon Williams, Deshawn Murphy and Jack McCarthy and redshirt freshman Lucas Van Nes.

THE CAPTAINS
Head coach Michael Donnelly announced that senior Greg Langston and juniors Tylon Smith and Luke Houston will serve as team captains for the 2013-14 season.

ON THE BRINK
The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team just missed out in its first NCAA Tournament berth in more than a decade. The Owls were ranked as high as No. 4 in the region during the year and closed the campaign with a 17-10 overall mark. It marked the second straight year that the Owls posted a winning record. In addition, the team also finished in fifth place in the Northeast-10 Conference, matching its highest placement since joining the league.

DONNELLY BUILDING A FOUNDATION
Owls' coach Michael Donnelly enters his fourth season at the helm of the SCSU men's basketball program in 2013-14. Over the course of his first three years, he has guided the Owls to steady win total improvements. Donnelly inherited a team that won just two games the year prior to his arrival and has since followed up with campaigns of 12, 14 and 17 victories. He has a 50-39 record as head coach at SCSU, which includes three straight trips to the Northeast-10 Conference Tournament, a program first. Prior to his hiring at SCSU in May, 2010, Donnelly spent seven years as the head coach at Post University.

SMITH NAMED TO NE-10 MEN'S HOOPS ALL-ACADEMIC TEAM
Tylon Smith was selected to the Northeast-10 Conference Men's Basketball All-Academic Team for his work in the classroom and on the court. He averaged 10.2 points per game and had a team-high 6.8 rebounds.

EXCELLING IN THE CLASSROOM
Southern Connecticut had four student-athletes selected to the Northeast-10 Conference Commissioner's Honor Roll for their work in the classroom during the 2012-13 academic year.

UP NEXT
SCSU plays next at the Dominican Tournament on Jan 3 and 4.