The Medgar Evers College men's basketball team defeated the University of Valley Forge at the Cougars Cave in Brooklyn, NY, on Wednesday, November 28.
The Cougars (1-4) topped the Patriots (0-6) by a final score of 95-66 in front of a boisterous Cougars Cave crowd. The 29-point margin of victory was MEC's largest since January 28, 2013, when they toppled Hunter College 99-62.
Medgar Evers stormed out to an 8-2 lead on the strength of six
Jafet Thomas points and never looked back. Despite the game being tied at 11, 14, and 31, the Cougars did not trail throughout the duration of the contes.
Justin Sutton, who came into the game needing only nine points to become the ninth player in MEC history to score 1,000 career points, struggled in the first half with only five points on 1-10 shooting, perhaps somewhat affected by the prospect of reaching the milestone as the Cougars entered halftime nursing a two-point lead. However, the senior guard showed why he is the team captain, immediately sinking two layups to open the second half to join the 1K club, the second of which put Medgar Evers up 46-40.
The team in general seemed to settle down after Sutton's historical moment and thereafter went on 31-16 run, capped by a
Darrell Spaulding three-pointer which put the black-and-gold up 77-56 with only 6:23 left in the game. MEC coasted to victory from then on.
This was a complete performance from the Cougars, who not only recorded assists on 22 of their 36 baskets, but also forced 26 Valley Forge turnovers while conceding only nine of their own.
Sutton finished 8-20 from the floor and totaled 24 points, eight rebounds, three assists, and three steals, while Spaulding nailed four of his eight three-point attempts and contributed 18 points, five assists and two steals in 22 minutes of action.
Sean Webb (12 pts, 5 ast, 4 stl) and
Elias Scott (10 pts, 3 ast, 3 reb) also were standout performers in the Cougars' best performance of the season so far.
The squad will hopefully be able to carry this momentum into their next game, the all-important CUNYAC opener vs. Hunter, which will be played on Friday, November 30, at the Cougars Cave at 8:00 pm.
