BUFFALO, NY - The afternoon started with a Villa win, and ended in the same fashion. Juniors DeJaun Owens (Buffalo, NY/Tapestry Charter School) and
Jay Scarbrough (Niagara Falls, NY/Cayuga Community College) each netted season highs as the men's basketball team was able to capture a 98-92 victory, and complete the afternoon sweep of Buffalo State College on Friday evening.
On a day when the Villa women's basketball team picked up a 68-63 win over the Bengals, the men's team capped it off with a thrilling victory in the opening round of the Cole's Classic inside the Buffalo State Sports Arena.
Owens scored a game-high 29 and Scarbrough scored 13 of his season-best 20 points in the second half as Villa was able to recover and close the game strong en route to it's fifth straight victory.
Buffalo State led 5-0 early and 17-15 less than seven minutes in, until Villa took control. They went on a 39-17 run to take a 20-point lead with 3:09 left in the half. Buffalo State answered the run, cutting the deficit to 12, 56-44 at halftime.
The Bengals started the second half strong, continuing to trim the deficit until they tied the game at 69 with 11:33 left. They took their first lead of the second half moments later, leading 71-69 with 10:35 left. After some back and forth, Buffalo State took control, leading 85-80 with under four minutes left. From there, Villa took control.
The Vikings went on an 8-0 run, capped by two Scarbrough free throws to lead 88-85. Buffalo State answered with a three with 3:37 left before Scarbrough broke the tie with a driving layup. The Bengals once again tied the game, this time at 90, but it was freshman
Lonnie Taylor (Medina, NY/Medina High School) who broke that tie and put Villa ahead for the final time with an offensive rebound and put-back.
Villa improves to 5-0 on the season while Buffalo State drops to 0-1. This is Villa's first program win against Buffalo State, the NCAA III opponent. The Vikings will now take on the University of Maine Fort Kent in the tournament's championship game, after the Bengals came from behind to defeat Point Park University 78-75 in the earlier game.
BOX SCORE
Villa Maria Vikings (5-0, 2-0 NIAC) 56 - 42 -- 98
Buffalo State Bengals (0-1, 0-0 SUNYAC) 44 - 48 -- 92
INSIDE THE BOX
* Villa finished with 10 assists on 31 made baskets
* Each team finished with 16 turnovers
* Villa out-rebounded Buffalo State 43-41
* Owens and Scarbrough combined for 15 rebounds, six steals and three assists
* Junior
Dominic Douglas (Bainbridge, GA/Bainbridge High School) finished with 13 points and six rebounds
* Taylor finished with eight points and six rebounds
* Villa as a team shot 8-12 from three point range
* Owens was 4-7, while junior
Jonathan Pozo (Bronx, NY/Erie Community College) gave Villa huge minutes off the bench, scoring nine points on 3-4 from long range
* Buffalo State edged Villa in points in the paint (48-46)
* Villa had a 23-20 edge in points off turnovers
* Villa has a 21-19 edge in second chance points
* Sophomore
Daniel Thompson (Brooklyn, NY/St. Thomas University) came off the bench to add seven points, one steal and one assist
WHAT THEY SAID
HC
Don Silveri "Our guys showed great fight in this one. We got up big, lost the lead, and things weren't going our way. But we kept out heads high, and fought through adversity. We are continuing to get better and work towards our goal. This is a good step for us.
UP NEXT
The Vikings will now take on the University of Maine Fort Kent in the tournament's championship game, after the Bengals came from behind to defeat Point Park University 78-75 in the earlier game.
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