Ater leads Morrisville State men past Harrisburg for 94-80 victory

The Morrisville State College men's basketball team posted their second straight conference victory Saturday afternoon, fueled by a collegiate best performance by freshman Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, NY) as the Mustangs topped visiting Penn State Harrisburg 94-80 in Morrisville.



The win boosts the Mustangs to 6-10 overall, 5-6 in North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) action. Penn State Harrisburg drops to 9-9 overall, 9-3 in conference play.



Morrisville State forced 13 first half Nittany Lion turnovers and held the 22-14 advantage on the boards, and used small runs in the first half to contribute to their 43-33 lead at the break.



In the second, the Mustangs pushed the pace of the game, to lead Harrisburg by as many as 20 with just over three minutes to go, and sealed the victory with free throws down the stretch.



Six netted double figures for the Mustangs in the win, led by Ater with 18 points and eight rebounds. Dwayne Wade (Beacon, NY) chipped in 17, adding eight steals to his tallies, while Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, NY) added 13 points and four assists.



Kyle Gordon (Riverhead, NY) had 12, while Wayne Turner (Brooklyn, NY) and Bryan Eddy (White Plains, NY) tallied 11 and 10 respectively.



Kenny Stone (Philadelphia, PA) led the Lions with 15 points and nine boards, while teammates Kenton Alston (Harrisburg, PA), Nick Liddell (Lewisberry, PA) and Shane Woodman (Marietta, PA) each had 12. David Reisinger (Harrisburg, PA) rounded out top scoring with 10 points. Alston and Jordan Gatchell (Manheim, PA) combined for 17 of the team's 21 assists.



Morrisville State returns to the court tomorrow, hosting Gallaudet University at 2 p.m. Harrisburg is on the road at Cazenovia.