Release courtesy of CNR Athletics
ALBANY, NY - The playoff picture became a little clearer as The College of New Rochelle traveled to Albany and defeated conference opponent Albany College of Pharmacy and Health Sciences by the score of 75 to 64. The win moves the Blue Angels to 4 - 0 in conference play and 9 - 7 overall.
The game got off to a seesaw beginning that saw ACPHS up 20 - 15 at the 9:21 mark of the first half. The lead was the largest the Panthers would hold as captains Elijah Harris (Flushing, NY) and Hunter Schenkel (Sayville, NY) combined to score eight consecutive points to push the Blue Angels ahead by the score of 23 - 20. ACPHS did not have the lead again for the rest of the game as the sophomore tandem of Harris and Schenkel led their team to victory.
Elijah Harris finished the contest with a game high 23 points, 14 of which came in the game's closing half. The sophomore guard did more than just score. Harris stuffed the stat sheet with eight rebounds, six assists, and four steals while playing all forty minutes of the contest.
Once again, the Swiss Army Knife that is Anthony Sylvester Jr (Queens, NY) came off the bench and provided a little bit of everything to give the team a spark. The freshman guard scored five points, grabbed six rebounds, dished four assists, and nabbed three steals all while providing superb ball handling against ACPH's constant full court pressure.
The Blue Angels received key contributions from several other members of the squad in the crucial conference game. Sophomore Dante Pulido (Queens, NY) led the team with nine rebounds while also blocking two shots. Sophomore Kobe Telford (Brooklyn, NY) also blocked two shots while grabbing three rebounds and logging two assists. Freshman guard Jaylin Gray (Brooklyn, NY) continued his fine rookie year by scoring 12 points.
The win was the team's fourth in a row and fifth in six games. Next up for the Blue Angels is conference opponent Vaughn College on Tuesday, January 23. The game is a re-match of last season's semi-final win for the Blue Angels.