Ruckkk
100
Winner SUNY Ulster Senators ULSTERM 7-9
98
Bronx Broncos BRONXM 9-11
Winner
SUNY Ulster Senators ULSTERM
7-9
100
Final
98
Bronx Broncos BRONXM
9-11
Score By Periods
Team 1 2 OT 1 F
SUNY Ulster Senators ULSTERM 44 44 12 100
Bronx Broncos BRONXM 44 44 10 98

Game Recap: Men's Basketball |

Senators rally from eight points down in final 1:22 of regulation to stun Broncos, 100-98 in overtime

Gallery: (1/18/2020) MBB vs Ulster County CC 1-17-20

The Broncos men's basketball team had come into Friday night's action having won four consecutive games this season decided by seven points or less, but that script flipped on Bronx this evening, as SUNY Ulster registered a hard-fought 100-98 overtime victory at the Alumni Gym. The Broncos have now lost consecutive games for the first time since mid-November, falling to 9-11 on the season. The Senators improved to a mark of 7-9 with the triumph.

Despite the loss for Bronx, National standout Tilquan Rucker was up to his old tricks, hitting 16 of his 26 attempts from the floor to finish with game-highs of 35 points and eight steals. He also snatched four rebounds and piled three dimes. Malik Hamilton shook off what appeared to be a brutal poke in the eye in the opening minutes of play, as he finalized his evening with 23 points, 11 rebounds, and two steals, and Steven Glover posted a double-double, netting 19 points while snatching 11 boards, swatting a game-high six shots, and registering two assists.

In a winning cause for the Senators, SUNY Ulster was led by Kervin Benoit, as he recorded team-highs of 27 points and four steals, while also registering a game-high seven assists. In addition, he also pulled down five rebounds. Mike Benitez converted on 11 of his 17 attempts from the floor to finish with 24 points, seven rebounds, and five assists, and it was Odane Montique finishing his evening with 24 points and three rebounds. Chase Monroe narrowly missed a double-double, as he scored 10 points and snatched nine boards.

SUNY Ulster raced out to an 8-2 lead in the opening 2:32, but a 12-4 Broncos run over a span of 3:36, capped by an Izaiah Richardson three-point basket, put Bronx ahead by a score of 14-12. The teams exchanged leads six times over the next 4:34 of action, before the Broncos went ahead by six (28-22) with 6:55 remaining in the opening session.

Bronx continued to push, taking its biggest lead of the evening, which was a 38-29 advantage, with 4:15 left on the first half clock. The Senators would rally back, closing the half on a 15-6 run as the teams entered halftime all knotted at 44 apiece.

In what was a remarkably competitive opening 17:29 second half, the game featured nine ties and a plethora of lead changes, with neither squad going up by any more than four points. The Broncos eventually did jump ahead by a score of 86-78 with 1:22 remaining, and it looked as though Bronx was headed for an impressive victory, but the Senators staged a remarkable comeback.

It started with a pair of converted free throws by Montique with 1:06 to play to pull SUNY Ulster to within six at 86-80. On the Broncos next possession, Montique would come up with a steal before hitting a three-point basket pull the Senators to within three at 86-83 with 53 seconds left on the clock. Bronx answered on its ensuing possession, as Abudrahan sunk a layup in the paint to put the Broncos back ahead by five, 88-83, with 33 seconds to play.

On SUNY Ulster's next possession, Sergiu Zimbatu drew a foul. He would proceed to convert on a pair of free throws, making it 88-85. After a timeout by Bronx, the Broncos were unable to get the ball inbounded, resulting in a violation, as another change of possession occurred. The Senators missed two three-pointers before Hamilton collected the rebound and got fouled.

With a chance to essentially ice the game by converting on one of two free throws, Hamilton misfired on both. Montique snatched the rebound, and swung the ball over to Kervin Benoit who drained a game-tying triple with six seconds remaining. Following a timeout by Bronx, Rucker missed a potential game-winning three-pointer at the buzzer, as the game headed into the extra session.

The Senators led by as many as five in the overtime period (96-91), but the Broncos refused to quit, going on a 7-2 run to tie the score at 98-apiece with 1:44 remaining in the extra period. That aforementioned score would remain intact until there were just 12 ticks left on the clock, as Benoit would hit what would prove to be the game-winning jumper. On Bronx's last possession, Richardson would misfire on a three-pointer, as SUNY Ulster's Monroe collected the rebounded. The Senators would then run the clock out before the Broncos could foul, sending Bronx to an unfathomable defeat.
 
In what was a very fast-paced game, both teams shot very well from the floor, as SUNY Ulster connected on 40 of its 79 attempts from the floor for the evening (50.6 percent) compared to a 48.8 percentage (40-82) for Bronx. The Senators held a 48-41 edge in the rebounding department, while also out-assisting the Broncos 15-14. Bronx did win the turnover battle, committing just 20 miscues while forcing 26 SUNY Ulster mistakes, and the Broncos swatted nine shots compared to four for the Senators.

The Broncos will get back on the court Tuesday evening, as Bronx will travel to Poughkeepsie, NY to face Dutchess Community College. Start-time for that contest is scheduled for 5:00pm.
 
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