CLEVELAND, Ohio – Clifton Lyerly reached the 1,000 point mark for his career in The College at Brockport men's basketball team's win on Saturday, an 90-78 route of Case Western Reserve University.
The Golden Eagles improve to 2-0 on the season while the Spartans fall to 1-2 on the year.
The Green and Gold got off to a hot start, as Hamed Shamseldin knocked down a three to give Brockport an early lead. Lyerly hit an early jumper and with a pair of free throws at the 17:16 mark, eclipsed the 1,000 point mark to join the elite club of Golden Eagles.
The offense for Brockport continued to produce, with a Lyerly lay-in at the 16:26 mark stretching the Golden Eagles lead to the largest of the half at 13-5. After four ties and five lead changes the Golden Eagles were able to begin to distance themselves from the Spartans.
With the Green and Gold defense continuing to apply pressure, Brockport forced several Spartan turnovers, leading to an eight-point run down the stretch, aided by two triples from Malick Sylla and a pair of Michael O'Hara free throws for a 41-35 advantage with under a minute to play in the first.
At the half, Lyerly led Brockport with 12 points to go with three rebounds. Shamseldin added seven points, while Sylla and O'Hara each netted six by the halfway point. As a team, the Green and Gold shot a first half percentage of 37.8 percent, with a hot 44.4 percent from beyond the arc. They forced 12 CWRU turnovers while only committing two themselves.
In the second half, the Golden Eagles wasted no time, and found the double-digit lead they had been fighting for at the 13:38 mark with the help of the three-pointer. Sylla and Mitch Cote each connected from beyond the arc, while Lyerly converted an old-fashioned three point play for the 58-48 lift.
The Golden Eagles didn't let off the petal as they used an 8-0 run down to the 7:47 mark, fueled by two buckets from Blythers and Devonn Gavin each for the 74-57 lead. Brockport didn't look back, as they controlled the contest and closed the door on the Spartans, securing the 90-78 win.
Lyerly led the Golden Eagle charge, with 24 points, seven rebounds three steals and two assists to earn the title of Tournament MVP. Shamseldin and Blythers worked their way into double figures, with 14 and 13 points respectively, while Blyers scooped up seven boards and three steals. Shamseldin was named to the All-Tournament team as well for his performance over the past two days. Brockport had 11 players get into the scoring column.
As a team, the Green and Gold shot a hot 44.1 percent from the field and a scorching 43.8 percent from three-point range. The Brockport defense forced 23 turnovers, for 29 points off turnovers and picked up 36 points from the bench. The Golden Eagles also outpaced their counterparts in the paint, by a margin of 42-28.
The Golden Eagles will be back in action on Nov. 22 when they head to Patchogue, N.Y. to face off against St. Joseph's College in Long Island.
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