Sophomore Jared Wagner (Pittsford, NY/McQuaid) recorded his first collegiate double-double and four different student-athletes scored in double-figures as the Keuka College men's basketball team picked up its third straight win, 77-62 Friday night in the first round of the 28th annual Harold J. Brodie Tournament at RIT.
Wagner scored 14 points with 10 rebounds while sophomore Tyler Hixson (Shortsville, NY/Red Jacket) added a career-high 19 points on 7-for-10 shooting with seven rebounds as the Storm (3-5) enjoyed a 51-32 edge on the glass.
After Manhattanville (5-4) pulled within 64-59 with 3:41 remaining, the Storm answered with an 11-0 run to pull away and win their third straight.
Wagner scored five points, sophomore Trevor Healey (Wethersfield, CT/Wethersfield) added four points and Hixson had a big rebound and put-back during the run.
Hixson grabbed a missed shot and made the lay-in and on the ensuing possession, Healey snared a miss and scored for a 68-59 lead to clinch the Storm's first three-game winning streak since Jan. 7-14, 2012.
"It was a really big win for us and everyone came out and played really hard tonight. We really broke their press and handled the pressure really well tonight," Wagner said. "We just have a lot of confidence in each other right now. We were able to stay together even during their runs and that says a lot about our maturity."
Keuka gets the winner of host RIT and D'Youville in the championship game, 3 p.m. Saturday afternoon.
The Green and Gold shot 48.2 percent from the floor (27-for-56) while limiting Manhattanville to just 31.8 percent shooting (21-for-66).
Healey scored 11 of his 17 points in the first half while senior Teddy Tuggles (Rochester, NY/Gates Chili) added nine of his 11 points before halftime as the Storm used an 22-7 spurt to seize control and lead 38-31 at intermission.
The Storm started off slow and fell behind 6-0 while being held scoreless for the first 3:17 of the opener of the Harold J. Brodie Tournament at RIT.
Sophomore Adam Starks (Wellsville, NY/Andover) knocked down a jumper and Wagner drilled a '3' from the left wing to pull the Storm within 6-5.
Trailing 7-5, Hixson went to work, scoring on three straight possessions to put the Green and Gold ahead, 11-7.
Tuggles drove the lane and converted a three-point play as Keuka took a 19-11 lead. After Healey made a jumper and Tuggles added a layup, the Storm found themselves ahead 23-14.
Following a technical foul on Manhattanville with 8:03 remaining in the half, Tuggles made both free throws for an 11-point lead. On the ensuing possession, Tuggles diced his way through the lane and converted a tough lay-in for a 27-14 lead that capped the 22-7 run for the Storm.
Manhattanville answered with a 7-0 run that pulled the Valiants within 27-21, but Wagner ended that spurt with a layup with 5:19 remaining.
Keuka shot 46.7 percent (14-for-30) in the opening half while holding Manhattanville to just 27.3 percent shooting (9-for-33).
With the shot clock winding down early in the second, Hixson collected a rebound and scored on the putback, his fourth make on his first five shot attempts. Hixson was fouled on the basket and finished the three-point play as he scored Keuka's first eight points of the second half.
Following a pair of free throws from freshman Casey Williams (Syracuse, NY/Jamesville-DeWitt), Tuggles extended the Storm's lead to 13 when he drove the lane and made his right-handed layup with 13:46 remaining. That bucket forced Manhattanville to take a full timeout as the Green and Gold went on a 5-0 run while holding the Valiants scoreless for three minutes.
Manhattanville responded with a 6-0 run, forcing the Storm into a timeout with Keuka holding a 53-46 lead with 10:43 remaining.
Senior Conor Boyer (East Rochester, NY/East Rochester) ended an 8-0 run with a layup off a feed from Tuggles. After a turnover, Williams knifed through the lane and made an acrobatic layup for a 57-48 lead.
Hixson swished a pair of free throws and Starks added a layup for a 63-50 lead, part of a 10-2 run for the Storm. Once again, Manhattanville had an answer in the form of a 7-0 run, but Keuka used the decisive 11-0 run to pull out the win.
"We were able to control their runs. Last year we struggled when teams came at us and made a run, we kind of hung our heads and got down, but we were able to control their runs and answer back with our own runs, and that was huge," Hixson said. "With good ball movement around the perimeter, it helped our big men inside get open and move from post to post."