| Albertus Magnus file photo |
The Albertus Magnus men's basketball team cruised to a 93-58 victory over Rivier in Great Northeast Athletic Conference play on Tuesday night. Senior Ray Askew pulled down six rebounds in the contest to become the GNAC's all-time leader in rebounds with 1,004. Askew becomes only the second player in league history to reach the 1,000-rebound milestone.
Askew, who scored 16 points in tonight's contest, grabbed his fourth rebound of the game and the 1,002 of his career at the 12:17 mark in the first half as he surpassed former Rivier standout Jeff Carpenter's mark of 1,001, the previous conference record.
Tonight's contest was highlighted by Albertus Magnus achievements as head coach Mitch Oliver also carved his name into the Falcons' record books. With his 69th win at the helm of the Albertus men's basketball program, Oliver tied Bob McMahon for the most wins in program history. McMahon finished his 10-year tenure (1997-2007) with an overall record of 69-185. Oliver is now 69-53, while he is in his fifth season with the Falcons.
The Falcons dominated from the beginning of tonight's contest as they opened the game with a 13-7 run before extending their lead to as much as 19 with less than a minute to go in the first half. Their aggressive play led them to their fifth-straight victory as the Falcons improve to 10-1 on the year and 5-0 in conference play. The loss drops Rivier to 2-9 overall and 0-3 in league action.
Arshad Jackson led all scorers with 25 points as he shot a near perfect 9-of-10 from the floor, including a stellar 5-of-5 from behind the arc. He was also 2-for-2 from the charity stripe.
Freshman Spencer Smith, who was named the GNAC Rookie of the Week on Tuesday for his efforts in the Falcons' 2-0 showing last week, finished the night with 12 points and 10 rebounds as he recorded his first-career double-double.
Askew's 16-point effort marked his fourth-straight game in double figures, while it was his ninth game of the year with 10 or more points.
Albertus finished the night with a 32-of-63 showing from the floor for 50.8-percent. The Falcons outrebounded the Raiders 38-33 and held them to a 42.4-percent field goal percentage on the night. The Albertus bench contributed with 44 points, while the Falcons scored 21 points off 20 Rivier turnovers.
Tonight's win also marked the Falcons' fifth consecutive win over the Raiders, including the second of the 2011-12 season, as the Falcons downed Rivier 90-59 on Dec. 10.