Complete Saint_Rose AIC Game Notes (pdf)

CONFERENCE PLAY CONTINUES
After suffering its first loss of the season, the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team returns to the court for two Northeast-10 Conference games this week. The Owls host Saint Rose on Wednesday night at 7:30 p.m. and travel to AIC on Saturday afternoon for a 3:30 p.m. contest.

ALL-TIME AGAINST SAINT ROSE
The Golden Knights lead the all-time series against SCSU 19-9.

ALL-TIME AGAINST AIC
AIC leads the all-time series against the Owls by a 45-22 margin.

ON THE GLASS
SCSU, who has outrebounded opponents 231-208 this season, averages 46.2 boards per game. SCSU tops the Northeast-10 Conference in rebounding average. Luke Houston leads the team with 8.4 rebounds per game.

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

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 Nov. 22, Langston, who leads the Owls with 25.4 points per game, leads the NE-10 in scoring average.
• Smith, who had a double-double against Molloy, leads the team with 6.2 assists per game.
• Houston, who recorded a double-double at Concordia, tops SCSU with 8.4 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 12.8 points per game and 4.4 rebounds per game.

OWLS FALL TO PACE IN OVERTIME
Southern Connecticut was unable to escape Pace with its perfect record intact, falling, 80-78, in overtime on Nov. 26.
• A three-pointer attempt by Luke Houston rimmed out at the buzzer.
• Greg Langston recorded a double-double in defeat. The senior guard, who led all scorers with 25 points, grabbed 14 rebounds and was one of five players to score in double figures for SCSU.
• Tylon Smith tallied 15 points to go along with six rebounds and five assists. Stefon Williams scored 14 points, while Houston added 11. Michael Mallory came off the bench to score 12 points. The freshman scored eight of his points in the second half and overtime.
• The Owls opened the game on a 14-6 run. The Setters battled back to trail by a single point with only 10 minutes before intermission.
• Down a point 12 minutes in, Southern Connecticut went on a 14-2 run to lead 41-32 with 3:02 remaining in the opening period. At the half, SCSU was ahead on the scoreboard by seven, 45-38. Langston totaled 18 first half points.
• Coming out of the locker room, Pace got out to a quick start, working to cut the Owls' advantage to four, 57-53, with 11:22 left in the game. SCSU, which led by as many as 10 in the second half, always was able to stay a couple of baskets ahead for the next few minutes however.
• Toward the middle portion of the second half, Pace used a 22-10 run to lead 64-63 with 6:14 left in the game.
• The tight defensive game had three lead changes and two ties over the final six minutes.
• A Mallory jumper with less than a minute left gave SCSU a 70-68 lead. The freshman's two point almost were the winning points, but a tip in by Nick Jackson at the buzzer sent the game into overtime.
• In the extra frame, Pace shot out to quick four point advantage, but baskets by Williams, and Langston knotted the game at 74.  A Mallory jumper tied the game again at 76.  Pace responded to another Mallory field goal with a three pointer to take a 79-78 lead with 26 seconds remaining. A Jackson free throw gave the Setters their two-point winning margin.

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.

LANGSTON NAMED TO NE-10 WEEKLY HONOR ROLL
For the third straight week guard Greg Langston was named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll on Nov. 25.
• 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.

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 AND LANGSTON EARN NE-10 HONORS
Luke Houston and Greg Langston were named to the Northeast-10 Conference weekly honor roll on Nov. 18.
• 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..
• Houston recorded a double-double for the Owls. 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.

LANGSTON HONORED
Greg Langston, who averaged 25.0 points per game at the Bridgeport Classic, was named to the NE-10 weekly honor roll on Nov. 11.

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.

WELCOME BACK
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 47-39 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 returns to the hardwood on Dec. 16 when it hosts Bridgeport. The game will tip off at 7:30 p.m.