Morrisville State men net 87-81 conference win over rival SUNYIT

Sophomore forward Kucjok Ater (Syracuse, N.Y.) netted a collegiate best 21 points and grabbed 10 rebounds to lead the visiting Morrisville State College men's basketball team to a come-from-behind 87-81 victory over North Eastern Athletic Conference (NEAC) rival SUNY IT Wednesday afternoon in Marcy.



Morrisville State pulls even to 6-6 overall, while remaining undefeated in conference play at 3-0. SUNY IT drops to 1-12 overall, 0-3 in NEAC action.



Ater hit 10-of-13 shots from the floor, while adding three steals, two assists and two blocks to his tallies on the day. Brandon Hanks (Syracuse, N.Y.) added 20 points, seven rebounds, five assists and two steals, while Mickey Davis (Jamesville, N.Y.) rounded out top scoring for the Mustangs with 12 points, six rebounds and four assists.



SUNY IT's T'Andre Richardson had 22 to lead all scorers on the day, grabbing 10 rebounds, as four additional teammates notched double figures, including Alex Grimmer and Justin Brignola each with 16. Derek Rowe and Sejad Gromilic each contributed 10. Rowe added 10 boards to the Wildcat efforts, as Gromilic dished out 12 assists.



The Wildcats posted a 43-35 lead at the break and held as many as an 11 point advantage over the Mustangs early in the second before Morrisville State put together a 18-6 run to claim the four point lead with just over 12 minutes to go. SUNY IT recovered the one point lead at 9:45 on a jumper by Ryan James, but Hanks and Kyle Gordon (Riverhead, N.Y.) hit back-to-back three's to put Morrisville State back out in front.



Morrisville State maintained the advantage and hit key free throws down the stretch to secure the conference victory.



The Mustangs hit 34-of-73 shots in the contest, shooting a season best 59.4 percent in the second half on 19-of-32 shots from the floor, including 5-of-13 from downtown.



The Mustangs return to the court Saturday, traveling to Lancaster Bible College. Tip-off is scheduled for 1 p.m.