Men's Basketball | 2/15/2009 7:16:02 PM
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ROCHESTER, NY – Hartwick (11-12, 4-10 Empire 8) used a 13-1 run midway through the second half to erase a five-point deficit and go on to defeat the RIT men's basketball team (17-6, 12-2 Empire 8) 80-72 on Sunday afternoon. Hartwick scored 55 second-half points en route to the victory.
Jan Coccozziello led Hartwick with 30 points, six boards and six assists. He scored 22 of his 30 points in the second half. Four players scored in double-figures for the Hawks. A.J. Beaulieu scored 12 points, while Mark Blazek added 11. Ramond Doyley chipped in with 10 points, nine boards and two blocks.
Hartwick's win denied RIT Head Coach Bob McVean his 400th victory at RIT.
RIT led 37-30 after Scott Young (Almond, NY/Hornell) (Almond, NY/Hornell) drilled a 3-pointer with 16:35 left. Hartwick responded, however, as Coccozziello and Beaulieu scored combined for 12 of the next 20 Hartwick points, as the Hawks went up 50-43 with 11:36 left.
Both teams shot 46 percent (27-for-59) from the field. Hartwick was 18-for-23 from the line, while RIT was 11-for-21. Hartwick out-rebounded RIT, 39-35. The two teams combined for 35 offensive boards.
Mark Carson (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) (Voorheesville, NY/Voorheesville) led RIT with 17 points, 15 boards and four blocked shots for his 20th double-double of the season. He was just 3-for-10 from the free-throw line. #Shawn Roe (Corning, NY/Corning East)# (Corning, NY/Corning East) scored 13 points, all in the second half for RIT.
Adam Sweet (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport) (Weedsport, NY/Weedsport) and# Marcus Lowe (Anchorage, AK/Service)# (Anchorage, AK/Service) scored 12 points apiece. #Nate Korinchak (Strongsville, OH/Strongsville)# (Strongsville, OH/Strongsville) added eight points, five assists and three steals in 15 minutes before fouling out.
RIT led 28-25 at the half, despite forcing 10 turnovers and holding the Hawks to just three points in the first nine minutes to lead by as many as 13. RIT led 26-14 with 3:08 in the half before Hartwick responded by scoring the next nine points over a 1:40 span to cut the RIT lead to 26-23. A lay-up by Carson pushed RIT's lead back to five, but James Mantas put back a missed shot at the buzzer for the Hawks.
RIT was uncharacteristically sloppy on the boards in the first half, as Hartwick pulled down 10 offensive rebounds and held a 19-14 edge overall after 20 minutes. RIT forced 10 first-half Hartwick turnovers.
RIT leads the all-time series against Hartwick, 29-28. On Jan. 23, RIT defeated the Ducks, 59-58 in Oneonta.
The Tigers return to action on Tuesday, as they host Nazareth in the regular season home finale at 8 p.m.
