The Brockport men’s basketball team defeated Geneseo 73-57 aided by an 18-point performance by senior guard Antonio Alvarez. The Golden Eagles avenged their loss against Geneseo earlier this season in a game that Brockport needed to win in the tightly contested SUNYAC race. Brockport sealed the deal to thrust them into fourth place in the conference.
Brockport led 43-25 at the half, but Geneseo responded with a 32-30 second half. Brockport spent 38 minutes in the lead and shot nearly 50% from the field.
Alvarez was a bucket for the Golden Eagles, collecting 18 points, five rebounds and two steals. Mekhi Beckett contributed nine points, eight assists and seven rebounds. Devante Hagins also added eight points, five rebounds and four assists.
The Brockport defense held Geneseo to 35% shooting from the field. Geneseo’s leading scorer Michael Gannon tallied 17 points. Geneseo had one other player score over 10 points with Kip Dallaris putting up 13 for the Knights.
“We lost to them (earlier in the season), so it was huge getting a victory against them,” Brockport head coach Greg Dunne said. “We didn’t want them having the opportunity to have the tiebreaker (game). This was a must-win for us, and we took care of it.”
Brockport’s offense was able to get the ball into the paint at their will and take advantage at the rim, allowing them to capitalize when close to the basket.
“We wanted to make sure we got the ball inside. We knew they would try to make us make jump shots. We shot well and Antonio knocked them down which was huge. We had a couple of other guys make some for us there too. We struggled to score in the second half, but we were able to figure that out,” Dunne said.
Dunne praised Alvarez for his ability to lead the team with his versatile, three-level scoring.
“When Antonio goes, we go. That’s how it was two years ago when we made a run in the national tournament. When he gets going both offensively and defensively, it keeps the other team honest, and then we’re really tough to stop,” Dunne said.
Alvarez and Beckett have been key players for the Golden Eagles, and the two of them are averaging 8.5 and 14.4 points per game respectively. David Grady III also continues to be successful, averaging 10.8 points and 5.7 rebounds per game.
The Brockport Golden Eagles will be back in action at SUNY Potsdam on Friday, Feb. 11 in a pivotal game for the SUNYAC playoff race.
