NEW YORK, N.Y. --- First-year Moravian College Head Men's Basketball Coach Justin Potts earned his first career victory leading his alma mater as the Greyhounds raced past SUNY Old Westbury, 98-70, in the third place game of the New York University Tournament at the Coles Sports Center Sunday evening.
Potts has the Greyhounds playing a pressing, up-tempo style that has Moravian averaging 82 points per game and forcing 18.7 turnovers per contest so far this season including 21 turnovers by Old Westbury. The 98 points for the Blue & Grey were the most since a 97-point performance in a 97-71 win versus Emmauel (Mass.) College in the same NYU Tournament on November 21, 2010. The last time Moravian scored 98 points in a game was in a 108-102 triple-overtime win at Widener University on February 15, 2007, and the last time that the Greyhounds scored 98 points in regulation was a 104-96 victory over No.1 ranked Wilkes University in Johnston Hall on February 3, 2001 when Potts was in his first of two seasons as an assistant coach with the Hounds after graduating in 2000.
The Greyhounds used a balanced scoring attack against the Panthers Sunday with four players in double figures let by junior guard Sean Hanna, who had a team and career-high 18 points to go with a career-best six assists and three steals. Sophomore guard Matt Cardonne tossed in 15 points, and he added three steals while junior forward Brandon McGuire and sophomore guard Khalil Rhett each scored 10 points. Rhett also contributed four rebounds and three assists while McGuire grabbed three boards and was also named to the All-Tournament Team.
Junior guard Isaiah Jennings and freshman guard Jimmy Murray each netted nine points in the victory while freshman guard Jake McGee added eight points and a team-high six rebounds. Freshman forward Oneil Holder had seven points and four boards on the evening while freshman guard Sebastien Jasmin had five points and five rebounds off of the bench. Freshman guard Will Brazukas contributed five assists, three steals and three rebounds for the Hounds.
Old Westbury scored the first three points of the game before Hanna connected on the first of four three-pointers to knot the score. The score went back-and-forth until Jennings gave Moravian the lead for good at 12-10 with a lay-up at the 13:05 mark of the first half. Holding a slim two point lead, the Greyhounds went on a 13-0 run to take a 27-12 lead with 9:17 before the intermission with Hanna drilling two more three-pointers during the stretch.
The Blue and Grey would stretch the lead to as many as 25 points, 42-17, in the first half before heading to the locker room with a 47-29 lead as Jennings beat the buzzer with a lay-up. The Hounds started the second half with a 10-0 run, and the squad led by as many as 32 points in the second half.
Moravian scored 26 of its 98 points off of turnovers in the contest, and the Greyhounds received 45 points from the bench in the victory.
The Hounds will continue their road trip on Tuesday, November 24 when the squad makes the short trek to Center Valley to battle DeSales University in a non-conference game tipping off at 8:00 p.m. in Billera Hall. The game is slated to be broadcast live on TV-2 Sports Tuesday evening.
