Men Surge to 87-65 Win over Maine Fort Kent in USCAA Matchup

Glenn Butler driving in for a layup in front of two defenders.
Nick George

DELHI, N.Y. (January 11, 2020) – A strong finish to the first half and a dynamic second half thrusted the SUNY Delhi men's basketball team to a decisive 87-65 win over Maine Fort Kent. The Broncos have now won four of their last five games to improve to 11-7 on the season.

The two teams played a back-and-forth first half to start. The Bengals led, 28-26, with just over five minutes remaining before the Broncos closed out the half with a 13-0 run to lead, 39-28, at intermission. Delhi carried that momentum by opening up a 23-point lead near the midway point of the half, and ultimately as much as a 30-point lead by game's end.

Saturday's victory marked a crucial first step in the Broncos' pursuit of their first USCAA National Tournament berth. Ranked fifth in this week's USCAA Division I Coaches Poll, Delhi is victorious to open its USCAA slate. They have matchups with fellow USCAA members Albany Pharmacy on Monday, Jan. 20 and Bryant & Stratton Liverpool Wednesday, Feb. 12.

Fourteen Broncos stepped on the court to contribute to the win. Norman Wilson led the team with 13 points, while Payton Dean earned his fifth double-double this season with 12 points and 14 rebounds. Justin Daoud earned 12 points with eight boards, as Mavenson Therneus racked up ten points. Glenn Butler and Carlos Ithier each logged nine points, as Erhunosere Uwuigbe made eight points. William Knight finished with six points, as Jordan Fragale connected for four points. Jared Beach and Matt Murphy each had two points to round out the scoring.

Delhi finished at 47.8 percent shooting (32-for-67), making 6-of-16 threes, while the Bengals fared 39.7 percent (27-for-68) and 5-of-19, respectively. The Broncos had several chances from the free throw line, making 17-of-25 to MFK's 6-of-9. The green and gold also were proficient on the boards, 49-34, and held a 40-28 lead in points in the paint.

Dean moved closer to the 1,000 career point milestone, adding his totals to 987 points. Knight now has 966 points, while Fragale has 941 points. Daoud, who reached 1,000 points on Jan. 6 at Northern Vermont Johnson, bumped his career numbers to 1,035 points.

Head coach Zack Thomsen's men completed their eighth game in the past 14 days with a 5-3 record in the span. With seven regular-season games remaining, the Broncos carry on with a home meeting with Pine Manor on Tuesday at 5:00 p.m. They will be local for their next road trip, beginning Sunday, Jan. 19 at SUNY Cobleskill at 3:00 p.m., followed by Albany Pharmacy on Monday, Jan. 20 at 2:00 p.m.