Posted: Nov 15, 2016
AMCATS Fall to Hawks on Opening Night
Becker
(1-0)
83
Anna Maria
(0-1)
72
| Final | 1 | 2 | T | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Becker (1-0) | 45 | 38 | 83 |
|
Anna Maria (0-1) | 39 | 33 | 72 |
PAXTON, Mass. --- The Anna Maria College men's basketball team fell to the Hawks of Becker College, 83-72 in their 2016-2017 season opener on Tuesday night
The Hawks open their season at 1-0 while the AMCATS fall to an 0-1 start.
HOW IT HAPPENED
Anna Maria, freshman forward Mike Rapoza (Charlton, Mass. / Shepherd Hill Regional) had an impressive debut, scoring 22 points while pulling down 11 rebounds. Junior forward Kenneth Graham (West Haven, Conn. / West Haven) contributed 18 points and eight boards while freshman guard Bobby Perette (Marshfield, Mass. / Marshfield) added 11 points with two steals.
Becker was led by sophomore guard Kareem Davis (Lowell, Mass. / St. John's) with 24 points including five three-pointers. Senior guard Kyle Credle (Queens, N.Y. / Benjamin N. Cardozo) scored 20 points while dishing out eight assists while junior forward Samuel Durodola (Rosedale, N.Y. / Campus Magnet) finished with 11 points and seven rebounds. For the game, the Hawks shot 47.6 percent from behind the arc.
FIRST HALF:
The Hawks exploded out of the gate in the first seven minutes of the game, taking a 23-9 lead off a jumper from freshman forward Christian Herelle (Orlando, Fla. / Orlando Christian Prep). Becker led by as much as 17 before Anna Maria rallied with an 11-2 run capped off by a layup from Perette with 8:24 left in the first half. The AMCATS closed out the half pulling within six points with a score of 45-39. Davis had 12 points at the intermission as the Hawks shot 50 percent from behind the arc.
SECOND HALF:
In the second half, it was Anna Maria getting off to a fast start, as the AMCATS opened with a 9-0 run. Perette opened with a three-pointer followed by a layup from Graham and a go-ahead shot from junior guard Tanner Jakola (Leominster, Mass. / Leominster) and another layup from Rapoza. It was the first time in the game the hosts had pulled ahead. Later, senior guard Khairi Mosley (Elizabeth, N.J. / Piscataway Vo.) gave Becker a six-point lead after a three-pointer, Anna Maria used a 12-4 run to pull within two, capped off with a layup from Rapoza with 12:14 left and the score at 56-54.
Just when it appeared the AMCATS might finally overtake them, the Hawks rallied, going on a 7-0 run with back-to-back baskets from Durodola to give Becker some breathing room at 69-60 with 7:04 remaining. Anna Maria would continue to fight, but with 4:10 left Credle hit a huge three-pointer to put the Hawks up by 12 at 77-64. Then with 1:01 remaining, junior guard Antonio White Jr. (Middletown, Conn. / Middletown) put the exclamation point on the game with a breakaway dunk as Becker secured the opening night victory.
WHAT'S NEXT?
Becker will be back on the court on Friday and Saturday when they travel to Bridgewater State University for the Cave Classic Tournament. They'll play the host Bears on Friday at 5:30 p.m. Anna Maria will travel to Babson College on Friday for a 7:00 p.m. game.
