NEW HAVEN, Conn. - Five players scored in double-digits for the Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball as they defeated The College of Saint Rose, 85-69, on Tuesday, Dec. 7, 2021 at James Moore Field House. With the win, the Owls improves to 3-4 overall and 1-3 in the Northeast 10, while the Golden Knights fall to 4-4 overall and 2-3 in the NE10.
Lyron Bennett (Boston, Mass.) tied a career-high with 12 assists, while also scoring 16 points on 7-of-13 shooting and grabbing six rebounds.
Ulyen Coleman (Brockton, Mass.) scored a team-high 16 points on 7-of-15 shooting, and
C.J. Seaforth (Hamden, Conn.) scored 15 points on 6-of-10 shooting and made three of his five three-point attempts.
Zack Penn (New Hartford, Conn.) scored 13 points, grabbed seven rebounds, and blocked three shots, while
Jamaal Waters (Hartford, Conn.) also scored 13 points on 6-of-7 shooting.
How It Happened
First Half
- Southern held an 18-10 lead with 14:26 to play in the first half, with eight points coming from Seaforth and another six from Coleman. The duo combined to connect on 4-of-6 from three-point range, and Southern as a team shot 7-of-10 overall to open the game and to give the Owls the early lead.
- After Saint Rose pulled the game with six points at the next possession, the Owls blasted off on a 25-8 run to take a 43-20, their largest of the half. Waters came off the bench to lead the scoring for Southern with seven points, while Coleman and Seaforth both scored five each. Southern went 10-for-16 from the field and held the Golden Knights to 4-of-18 shooting.
- At the halfway mark, Southern lead 47-27, and Seaforth led the Owls with 13 points on 5-of-6 shooting including 3-of-4 from three-point range while Coleman had 11 points on three, three-pointers. Waters also saw double figures before halftime, totaling 11 points on 5-of-5 shooting from the floor.
Second Half
- Saint Rose opened the second half on a 14-4 spurt to cut Southern's lead down to 10, 51-41, with 14:16 remaining.
- Coleman made a layup and scored on a dunk and Seaforth made a jumper to get Southern's offense going again and increasing their lead to 57-43, but Saint Rose cut Southern's lead down to 57-48 with 11:55 left.
- The Golden Knights would not be able to get any closer the rest of the game, however. With the score 63-53, Southern rattled off eight straight points to increase the lead to 71-53. Saint Rose responded by cutting Southern's lead down to 15 with 4:34 left, but a mini 8-3 spurt gave Southern a 20-point lead, and they would hang on for an 85-69 victory.
- Southern closed the game by shooting 10-of-14 from the field after the score was 63-53, with Bennett scoring 10 points and Penn scoring eight to clinch Southern's first conference win.
Notes
- Coleman made three three-pointers for the third time this season, and has now scored in double figures in every game so far this season.
- Bennett has also scored in double-figures in every game this season, and his 12 assists tied his career-high for most in game, last done on Feb. 22, 2020 also against Saint Rose. His six rebounds were also a season-high.
- Seaforth's reached the double-figure scoring plateau for the fourth time this season, and he has now made at least three three-pointers in four games.
- Penn scored a season-high 13 points while shooting 5-of-7 from the field, and tied his career-high in blocked shots with three. The last time he blocked three shots was on Jan. 2, 2019 at LIU Post.
- Waters scored a career-high 13 points while shooting 6-of-7 from the field.
- The last time Southern had five players score in double-figures also came against Saint Rose, on Feb. 22, 2020.
- Southern has defeated Saint Rose in six consecutive games, and their last five wins against the Golden Knights have all been by at least 10 points.
Up Next
Southern will play three consecutive non-conference games at home, starting with their first ever matchup against Lincoln University on Sunday, Dec. 12.
