NEW HAVEN, Conn. - The Southern Connecticut State University men's basketball team defeated American International College, 77-76, in a Northeast 10 Conference matchup at James Moore Field House on Saturday Feb. 5, 2022. With the win, Southern improves to 6-11 overall and 3-8 in the NE10, while AIC falls to 6-17 overall and 3-11 in the NE10.
Four Owls scored in double figures, with
Ulyen Coleman (Brockton, Mass.) and
Lyron Bennett (Boston, Mass.) reaching the 20-point mark each. Both players also shot 8-for-14 from the field, with Coleman recording a double-double with 10 rebounds while shooting 3-for-5 from beyond and Bennett making 4-of-6 of his three-pointers and dishing out five assists.
C.J. Seaforth (Hamden, Conn.) scored 17 points and shot 5-for-9 from the field and recorded three steals, while
Zack Penn (New Hartford, Conn.) scored 14 points and shot 6-for-8 overall.
How It Happened
First Half
- Southern came out on fire to start the game, as they jumped out to a 14-0 and 16-2 lead and held the Yellow Jackets without a field goal for the six minutes of the game. Penn scored six points and Bennett scored five while Southern shot 7-for-10 from the field during the stretch.
- AIC responded with a 10-0 run to make it a four-point game. Seaforth made a three-pointer end to the skid, and both teams exchanged baskets in their following possessions. The Yellow Jackets then went on a 17-4 run to take a 31-25 lead with 5:43 remaining. Overall, the Yellow Jackets outscored 29-9 after their initial 16-2 lead.
- Southern then fought back to end the half, and outscored the Yellow Jackets 12-4 in the final five minutes and took a 37-35 lead into halftime. Bennett started the run by forcing a turnover and making a layup and made a three-pointer in back-to-back possessions, and Southern finished the half off with a made three-pointer by Coleman and a layup by Alex Lin (Hillsdale, N.J.) just before the buzzer.
- Penn and Seaforth both scored 10 points each, while Coleman scored nine, and all three made four field goals each. Seaforth also recorded three steals in the opening 20 minutes.
Second Half
- After the score became 41-39 shortly after the start of the second half, the Owls rattled off a 16-4 run over to take a 57-43 lead, equaling their largest of the game. Seaforth led the run with eight points and made two three-pointers.
- AIC worked their way back into the game with an 8-0 run to cut the lead down to six. Coleman made a big three-pointer with 8:25 remaining to end the scoring drought, but AIC scored five straight points to bring the score to 60-56 with 7:15 remaining.
- Bennett made a three-pointer to create more separation for Southern before back-to-back layups by the Yellow Jackets made it a one possession game. Coleman again made another big three to put Southern up six, and a three-pointer by Bennett gave Southern a 71-62 lead with 3:18 remaining.
- Six straight points by AIC again brought the score down to a single possession, but Seaforth made a three-pointer out of a timeout to put Southern up 75-70 with 30 seconds remaining. AIC responded with a made three-pointer, but Bennett sealed the win by making a layup after receiving the inbound pass from Penn and Southern held on for a 77-76 win.
Notes
- Coleman's eight field goals made were a season high, and his 20 points equaled a season-high last done against Jefferson on Nov. 20. HIs three made three-pointers also tied a season-high, done four other times this season.
- Coleman's double-double was the second of his career. His first came against Stonehill on Jan. 19, 2019 when he had 12 points and a career-high 14 rebounds.
- Bennett scored 20 points for the fourth time this season and third time in the last six games. HIs four made three-pointers set a new career-high.
- Seaforth's five three-pointers were a new season-high, and were tied for the most three-pointers made in a game by a Southern player this season. Sean James (West Hartford, Conn.) also made five against Franklin Pierce on Jan. 19, 2022.
- Seaforth is shooting 13-for-26 from three-point range over his last four games and has averaged 16 points per game over that stretch. He also has recorded multiple steals in three consecutive games.
- With his 17 points scored, Seaforth upped his career points total to 954.
- Since the start of the New Year, Penn is shooting 59.3 percent from the field and has averaged 10.6 points per game with four double digit scoring games.
- Southern's 12 made three-pointers tied a season-high, last done against Goldey-Beacom on Nov. 11, while their 48 three-point percent is a season-high.
- Southern shot 55.6 percent from the field and 53.9 percent (7-for-13) from beyond the arc in the second half.
- Head Coach Scott Burrell recorded his 97th career win.
Up Next
Southern will host Pace on Tuesday, Feb. 8, 2022 at Moore Field House.
