Box Score
The Lehman College men's basketball team (0-4 Overall, 0-0 CUNYAC) lost their fourth consecutive game to start the 2009-2010 campaign, falling to the Hawks of SUNY New Paltz (2-1 Overall) by a score of 78-72 in the consolation game of the SUNY New Paltz Tournament at the Athletics and Wellness Center in New Paltz, NY.
The Lightning seemed to be in control of the game after a stellar first half in which Lehman led by as many as 16 points, 27-11, at one point. The Lightning eventually would go into the locker room with a 45-32 lead after shooting 50 percent from the floor in the first 20 minutes of play. The Hawks would storm back in the second half, however, outscoring Lehman College by a significant margin of 46-27 and knocking down 53 percent of their attempts from the floor in the final 20 minutes compared to just 28.9 percent for Lehman.
In the victory for New Paltz, Harris Wichard score a team-high 26 points to go along with eight rebounds and three steals. Jayquan Anderson also put forth a stellar effort with 22 points, eight rebounds, and four assists, and Nick Taldi provided a huge spark in the second half and finished the game with 16 points (4-5 from three-point range).
Despite the loss for the Lightning, Mathias Raggiotto put forth an extremely encouraging effort as he netted a game-high 27 points to go along with seven rebounds. Perry Daniel scored 20 points, snatched five rebounds and tallied four steals, and Jonathan DeJesus finished with 12 points and eight rebounds. Following the loss, Head Coach Steven Schulman gave his thoughts.
“It certainly is a disappointing loss because we were doing everything right in the first half and I felt as though we had a great chance to nail down our first victory, but unfortunately, it wasn't meant to be,” Schulman said. “I believe we'll take some things from this one, learn from our mistakes, and come out ready to play Vaughn College on Tuesday evening in front of our home fans.”
The Lightning will return to action this Tuesday evening as Lehman will battle Vaughn College in a non-conference contest at the APEX Center, with game-time scheduled for 7:15pm. Earlier in the day, beginning at 3:00pm, there will a Prep rally that will be held in the auxiliary and main gymnasiums of the APEX Center and all fans are welcome to attend and be part of the excitement. There will be games and giveaways at the rally, and some of the 2009-2010 Lehman College athletic teams will be introduced as well in what promises to be a fun day for all involved.
