The Suffolk University Men's Basketball team collected their third win of the week with an 84-74 victory over the Mount Ida College Mustangs in Great Northeast Athletic Conference (GNAC) action on Saturday afternoon.
Senior Colin Halpin (Melrose, Mass.) led all scorers with 26 points, while sophomore Matt Powers (Westwood, Mass.) once again gave the Rams a spark off the bench pouring in 17 for the Rams' third straight in-conference win.
Mount Ida finished the game with four players in double digits in scoring highlighted by a 20-point effort by freshman Cam Walker (New Bedford, Mass.), but it was a late charge by the Rams that dropped the Mustangs to 5-14 on the year and 1-11 in GNAC play.
Powers continued his hot hand as he was 5-for-6 in the game from beyond the arc for the Rams. On the week the sophomore guard shot 11-for-13 from three-point land to help guide the Rams in all three wins.
The victory moves Suffolk to a 7-11 mark on the year while they improve to 5-6 in GNAC action.
Mount Ida would hold the lead for the majority of the contest and were able to push the score to 50-45 when sophomore Aaron Kelly (Norwalk, Conn.) hit a jumper at 13:25.
Consecutive three-pointers by Powers would put the Rams up by one-point, before Halpin connected on the third straight trey for Suffolk giving them a 54-50 lead with 12 minutes on the clock. Powers would cap off the 11-0 run for the Rams with an ensuing layup as Suffolk would not relinquish the lead over the remaining minutes.
Freshman John Fortes (New Bedford, Mass.) would get the Mustangs back within a pair at the 7:45 mark as he scored two of his 16 points in the game to make it a 64-62 contest. Powers would answer with his fourth three-pointer in the half to give the Rams some space.
Fortes finished the game 6-for-8 from the field for the Mustangs, while junior Kenny Jean (Dorchester, Mass.) added 17 points.
Freshman Caleb Unni (Winchester, Mass.) netted 17 points in the victory for the Rams, while senior Matt Pepdjonovic (Quincy, Mass.) scored 11, including three monster dunks, one on a put-back during the Rams run halfway through the second period that helped swing momentum towards Suffolk's way. Pepdjonovic finished the game with a team-high nine rebounds while the Rams held a 43-39 edge on the glass in the contest.
Both coaching staffs took part in the National Association of Basketball Coaches Suits and Sneakers Awareness Weekend. Head Coaches Rico Cabral of Mount Ida and Suffolk's Adam Nelson, along with their assistants discarded their usual dress shoes for casual white sneakers to wear with their customary game suits in Saturday's contest. College basketball coaches around the nation this weekend will be putting on sneakers during their games in hopes of raising awareness in the fight against cancer.
Both teams will be back in GNAC action on Monday evening. The Mustangs will travel to St. Joseph's College for a 6:00pm tip-off with the Monks. Suffolk will travel to Anna Maria College for a 7:00pm game time.