KEUKA PARK, N.Y. — For the first time since the 2018-19 season, the Keuka College Men's Basketball team won their conference opener and did so in impressive fashion. Keuka College defeated Houghton University 93-59 in an Empire 8 game at the JMW Recreation and Athletics Center on Tuesday night.

Mason VanDeMortel (Newark, N.Y. / Newark) led Keuka College (3-4, 1-0 Empire 8) with 23 points. Christian Sage (Owego, N.Y. / Owego Free Academy) added 18 in the win and Mac Creek (Tampa, Fla. / Cambridge Christian) was also in double figures with 15 points.

Keuka College 93 vs. Houghton University 59

The visiting Highlanders used their size early to a small lead over the Wolves, but that would be short-lived. A rebound and layup by Mason VanDeMortel pulled the game back to within one at 13:57. The senior followed with a three to give the Wolves the lead and Alijah Ellis (Portsmouth, Va. / Indian River / Fork Union Military Academy) had a put-back basket to force Houghton into a timeout. The break did not help the Highlanders as Mac Creek had a personal 8-0 run and another timeout was called by Houghton. In total, Keuka scored 17 unanswered in four minutes to build a 25-11 lead. The pressure by Keuka continued as Cam Banks (Titusville, Fla. / Space Coast) forced a steal near midcourt and found Ellis for the dunk. The Wolves kept the lead in double figures the rest of the half and carried a 46-30 lead into halftime.

Houghton made the opening basket of the second half, but Keuka College put the game away after. The Wolves scored 16 straight and held Houghton off the board for over five minutes to take a 30-point lead, 62-32. The defense was big for the Green and Gold as they forced a season-high 21 turnovers on 17 steals that led to 28 points for the Wolves. The Green and Gold led by as many as 44 midway through the second and continued on to the comfortable 93-59 victory.

KC Notes:

• The win was the fourth straight for Keuka College over Houghton University. The Wolves are 14-6 overall in the series and 4-1 in Empire 8 games. The 34-point margin was the largest for Keuka in the 20-game series
• The Wolves shot a season-best 50.7% from the floor. Keuka College had a lot of high-percentage chances, outscoring the Highlanders 44-22 in the paint
• The Green and Gold also controlled the boards with a +13 rebounding margin. Cam Banks led with a career-high seven while Mason VanDeMortel had six for the Wolves
• VanDeMortel was alos a deterant at the rim. He had three blocks against Houghton. The senior has now swatted away 66 shots at Keuka College, breaking a tie for tenth on the career list
• Cam Banks also paced the trapping defense of Keuka. The sophomore set a new career high with five steals. As a team, Keuka's 17 steals tied for the ninth-most in a game in program history and the most in a game for the Green and Gold since November 2006

Up Next for Keuka College: The Wolves have some time before their next game to focus on academics and the close of the fall semester at Keuka College. They will play one final game before the holiday break on Saturday, December 16. Keuka College will host SUNY Morrisville at 2 p.m. at the JMW Recreation and Athletics Center. It will be the first time that Keuka College has faced their former conference foes since the two were members of the North Eastern Athletic Conference in the 2019-20 season.