The Lehman College men's basketball team (2-2 Overall, 0-0 CUNYAC) picked up a victory in the consolation game of the Utica College Tip-off Tournament as the Lightning defeated the Albany College of Pharmacy Panthers (0-5 Overall) by a score of 75-54 at the Clark Athletic Center in Utica, NY.
The Lightning were led by senior guard Duane Rhoden as he led Lehman in points for the second consecutive day, pouring in a team-high 18 points on 9-18 shooting, including a 2-5 clip from downtown. The DeWitt Clinton High School product also dished three assists and tallied three steals during his 23 minutes of action. First-year Lehman player Scottie Nimmons provided a spark off of the bench for the Lightning, as he connected on five three-pointers and scored 15 points in just 15 minutes of action. Finally, it was sophomore Alain Dela Cruz putting together a tremendous all-around performance, as he totaled six points, grabbed nine rebounds, and dished eight assists. Lehman won the turnover battle in the contest, committing 16 miscues while forcing 21 Panther mistakes, and the Lightning connected on 46.3 percent of their shots while holding Albany College of Pharmacy to 34 percent shooting. Following the contest, Head Coach Steven Schulman was pleased with the team's effort.
“I felt that we played very well this weekend,” Schulman said. “For us to lose a tough game last night and then come back on the very same court just 15 hours later with great focus and energy was very encouraging to see. I felt as though our rebounding and our three-point shooting won the game for us and our ability to move the ball was also important. Now we'll have a day off and then we'll get back to work on Monday and prepare for Union College.”
Despite the loss for Albany College of Pharmacy, Peter Aiken led the way for the Panthers with 20 points on 7-8 shooting from the floor and 6-8 shooting from the charity stripe. He also snatched six rebounds and dished two assists.
The Lightning will return to action Tuesday evening as they host Union College in a non-conference contest, with game-time at the APEX Center scheduled for 7:00pm.
