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Slow start, long distance shooting buries Potsdam men's basketball team

Posted 1/15/11

The SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball team played evenly against SUNY Cortland for all but one stretch Saturday, falling 70-58 in a State University of New York Athletic Conference match-up at …

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Slow start, long distance shooting buries Potsdam men's basketball team

Posted

The SUNY Potsdam men’s basketball team played evenly against SUNY Cortland for all but one stretch Saturday, falling 70-58 in a State University of New York Athletic Conference match-up at Cortland, N.Y.

The Bears (4-9 overall, 3-3 SUNYAC) shot just 39.1 percent for the contest as the Red Dragons converted 13 3-pointers, more than half of its made field goals, and shot 46.2 percent overall.

“We had some good looks at the basket but were unable to convert,” Potsdam coach Sherry Dobbs said. “We gave up too much dribble penetration and they did a good job of kicking the ball out to open shooters.”

Potsdam played evenly with Cortland (4-9, 1-5) after falling behind 23-11 over the opening nine minutes of the first half, but was unable to string together a run and get back into the contest despite cutting the deficit to seven on two different occasions early in the second half.

“We just didn’t do a good job of controlling the dribble,” Dobbs said. “Then we were a little impatient offensively, trying to get the lead back with one shot or one play. There was still 30 minutes to play at that point, and we didn’t do a good job of recognizing that.”

Freshman Rob Duquette (Peru, N.Y.) led the Bears with 18 points, six rebounds and three steals, shooting 7-for-10 from the field. Sophomore Curtis Pierce (Brooklyn, N.Y.) chipped in with 15 points, while senior Anthony Williams (Long Island, N.Y.) produced eight points, 10 rebounds and six assists.

“Rob played with a lot of energy and had some big baskets when we needed to cut into their lead,” Dobbs said. “He ran the floor very well and did a nice job of feeling his man on offense.”

Potsdam outrebounded Cortland 40-31 and controlled 17 offensive rebounds. However, as the Red Dragons succeeded to shoot 46.4 percent from 3-point range, the Bears, who entered the weekend with the conference’s best 3-point shooting percentage, struggled from distance, connecting on just 2-of-16 attempts.

Potsdam resumes conference action this Friday, Jan. 21, against Buffalo St. Game time at Maxcy Hall’s Jerry Welsh Gymnasium is slated for 8 p.m.