Release courtesy of Pratt Athletics
BROOKLYN – Vaughn College overcame a 26-20 first-half deficit with full-court pressure and a deep bench in earning a 110-68 win over Pratt Institute in Hudson Valley Intercollegiate Athletic Conference men's basketball play at the Pratt ARC.
In a fast-paced half featuring nearly continuous end-to-end, transition basketball a Sergio Mejia lay-in put Vaughn ahead 11-6. Guided by a pair of freshmen, the Cannoneers then took off on a 13-2 run led by five points from Andrew Yaglenski and two layups from fellow first-year starter Khari Jones. Another Jones basket at the 12:00 mark gave Pratt its largest lead at 23-17, and after Mejia answered with a three-ball, Yaglenski matched the Warriors guard with a trey of his own to make again a six-point lead, 26-20 at the 11:00 mark.
Vaughn then turned up its pressure, extending into a man-to-man, full-court press that stymied the Pratt attack and created easy baskets for the visitors. The Warriors turned 11 Pratt first-half turnovers into 10 fast break points, and a deep Warriors bench contributed 17 points before halftime as the team took a 52-40 lead into intermission.
The Cannoneers trimmed the margin to 10 on a Yaglenski jumper at the 18:20 juncture, but the visitors forced eight Pratt turnovers during a 20-2 run, going up 75-48. Vaughn scored 24 points off turnovers in the second, with its bench pouring on 29 points after halftime as the Warriors coasted to a 110-68 win.
Mejia and Pena paced five Warriors in double figures with 20 points each, the latter connecting on 6-11 from distance. Vaughn shot 53 percent overall, 43 percent from the three-point arc in improving to 4-4 (1-0 HVIAC).
For Pratt (4-4, 0-3 HVIAC), Yaglenski led four players in double digits with 17 points, while Jones added 17 points and six boards in 15 minutes. One game after finishing two blocks shy of a triple-double, junior forwardAri Grant totaled 11 points, a game-high 15 rebounds and game-best eight assists. Guard JT Kim chipped in with a season-high 11 points off the bench.
The Cannoneers return to play Friday night in HVIAC action, playing host to The King's College at 7:00 p.m.
