Blue Jays Drop Season Opener to Valiants, 73-63

From the E-town College Website:

11/15/2009 5:20:14 PM

Box score

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. --- Angelo Laroche came off the bench to score a game-high 19 points as Manhattanville College defeated Elizabethtown College 73-63 in the men's basketball season opener for both teams on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.

Trevoy Pointer added 17 points, four assists and four steals and Lamar Glass finished with 15 points and a team-high eight rebounds for the Valiants (1-0 overall), who went 21-for-27 (77.8 percent) from the foul line as a team and converted 24 Blue Jay turnovers into 26 points.

Keith Fogel paced the Blue Jays (0-1 overall) with 15 points, including three three-pointers, while Joe Flanagan and Mike Church also reached double figures with 12 and 11 points, respectively. However, the Blue Jays went just 11-for-22 from the free-throw line on the afternoon.

Elizabethtown led 20-15 midway through the first half, but the Valiants went on a 17-6 run to take a 32-26 lead on a layup by Felipe Vargas with 5:34 left in the half. The Blue Jays fought back to go on top 40-39 at halftime, with Fogel scoring a team-high 11 points for Elizabethtown while Laroche tallied 14 points to lead the Valiants.

The Blue Jays took their last lead of the day at 50-49 on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 11:54 left, but Laroche put the Valiants on top for good with 10:51 remaining. After trailing by as many as seven points, the Blue Jays moved back within three at 59-56 with 5:47 to go, but Pointer scored five straight points to extend the Manhattanville lead to 64-56 with 3:31 remaining.

In addition to his 11 points, Church pulled a team-high eight rebounds and blocked a pair of shots for the Blue Jays. Vogel hit both of his three-point attempts and finished with six points, while Kyle McConnell had seven points and two assists in 21 minutes.

Manhattanville finished with a slim 35-34 advantage in rebounding, as Glen Rodriguez pulled seven boards in 19 minutes to join Glass on the Valiant leader board. Jay Ferriere chipped in wth six points and matched Pointer for the team high with four steals.

From the Manhattanville College Website:

Men's Hoops Steals 73-63 Win From E'Town
11/15/2009 6:20 PM

ELIZABETHTOWN, Pa. – Senior Angelo Laroche (Brooklyn, N.Y.) tied a career high with 19 points and the Manhattanville defense recorded 17 steals as the Valiant men’s basketball team defeated Commonwealth Conference preseason favorite Elizabethtown College, 73-63, in the team’s 2009-10 season opener on Sunday afternoon at Thompson Gymnasium.

Laroche was one of three Valiants to reach double-figures in the win, connecting on 6-of-12 shots from the floor while adding four rebounds and a steal. The reigning Freedom Conference Rookie of the Year, sophomore Trevoy Pointer (Dallas, Texas), had a nice overall game with 17 points, four assists, four steals and a block, while junior Lamar Glass (Dallas, Texas) added 15 points, a game-high eight rebounds and three steals.

Manhattanville finished the afternoon shooting 42.6 percent (23-for-54) from the field and going 21-of-27 from the charity stripe in the victory. After allowing Elizabethtown to shoot a blistering 62.5 percent (15-for-24) in the first 20 minutes, the Valiants earned the win by holding the Blue Jays to just 8-for-28 shooting (28.6 percent) in the second half.

The first half was an evenly contested frame, featuring nine ties and 10 lead changes. No team could collect a lead greater than six points, which came on the Valiants’ side on a fast-break layup by sophomore Felipe Vargas (Miami, Fla.) with 5:34 left in the half.

Elizabethtown held a slight 40-39 edge at halftime, and the Blue Jays enjoyed their last lead of the afternoon on a three-pointer by Mark Vogel with 11:54 left on the clock. However, a layup by Laroche put the Valiants back on top and Vargas followed with a key three-pointer to give the visitors an advantage they would not relinquish.

The Valiant lead was still three points with 5:47 left before Manhattanville rattled off seven consecutive points over the next 2:36, including five straight points by Pointer and a Laroche jumper to cap the run and seal the win. On the defensive end, the Valiants then held E’Town to just two field goals and forced five turnovers the rest of the way.

After relying on its extensively last season, the Manhattanville defense showed its strength in Sunday’s season opener, forcing 24 Elizabethtown turnovers and converting them into 26 points. Pointer and junior Jay Ferriere (Melbourne, Australia) tied for the game-high with four steals apiece, while seven Valiants recorded at least one theft in the win.

Manhattanville (1-0, 0-0 Freedom) will return home to host the 2009 Castle Classic this weekend beginning with two games on Friday evening. The U.S. Coast Guard Academy and Connecticut College will play in the first game beginning at 6 p.m., while the Valiants host John Jay College in the nightcap at Kennedy Gym beginning at 8 p.m. Elizabethtown (0-1, 0-0 Commonwealth) will travel to Lancaster Bible College on Wednesday at 7 p.m.