Men's Basketball: Albany Pharmacy 58, SUNY-ESF 57

Men's Basketball: Albany Pharmacy 58, SUNY-ESF 57

Release courtesy of ACPHS Athletics

Albany, NY - Only five Panthers scored, but each reached double digits as ACPHS held on for a 58-57 victory at Albert M.White Gymnasium today. The Panthers improved to 4-1 in the HVIAC, 6-7 overall, while the Mighty Oaks dropped to 1-1 in the league, 3-12 overall.

The Panthers started hot, breaking out to a 19-9 lead after a three by Freshman Thomas Chalker (Metuchen, NJ) with 13 minutes left in the first half. SUNY-ESF clawed back quickly, led by Ryan Caldwell who finished with nine points in the first. They maintained a lead for the last eight minutes of the period, going into the break with a five-point lead over the Panthers.

In a second half that sported six lead changes, nobody was able to grab hold of the game until Chalker hit another three to put the Panthers up five following a cross-court pass from Sophomore  Alex Johnson (Malone, NY).  SUNY-ESF's Andrew Beemer pulled to within three only 20 seconds later, with Andrew Koch cut the lead to one after a costly turnover by Sophomore  Brandon Votra (St. Regis Falls, NY). The Mighty Oaks then fouled Senior Michael Beyer (Clifton Park, NY), but he missed the front-end of the one-and-one to give SUNY_ESF the ball down one with just 27 seconds left. The Mighty Oaks missed their first go ahead attempt, prompting head coach Scott Blair to call a timeout with 10 seconds remaining. Ryan Caldwell took the inbound at the top of the key with Votra on him, and used two screens to get to the rim for the game-winning basket. Chalker hustled over from the weak side and sent Caldwell's would-be lay-in flying out of bounds. The Mighty Oaks would not get another shot off, and the Panthers would finish today in third place in the HVIAC.

Brandon Votra led all scorers with 18 points and 17 rebounds. Beyer, Chalker, Johnson and Senior David Mcentee(Cazenovia, NY) each netted ten points, with all but Chalker chipping in five rebounds each. Mcentee added six assists, and helped the Panthers force 16 turnovers on the day. Leading the Mighty Oaks was Caldwell with 17 points and 13 rebounds and Tyler Kuhn with 15 points and 12 rebounds. 

ACPHS well be right back at it this Tuesday, January 26th when they take on Green Mountain College at Albert M. White Gymnasium at 8pm. SUNY-ESF looks to rebound next Sunday, January 31st when they take on Pratt at home in Syracuse, NY.

# # #

Release courtesy of SUNY-ESF Athletics

The Mighty Oaks dropped a close game, 58-57, on the road to HVIAC rival Albany Pharmacy.

The Mighty Oaks started the game with cold shooting, allowing the Panthers to jump out to a quick 19-9 lead, six minutes into the contest.  After an ESF timeout, the Mighty Oaks quickly cut into the lead and tied things back up at 19 led by Ryan Caldwell who finished with nine points in the first half. ESF was able to wrestle the lead away from Albany and marched into half time with a five-point advantage versus the Panthers.

The second half saw the Mighty Oaks maintain its half time lead but some key shooting from Albany kept the score close.  After losing junior point guard Dan Treadwell to an injury halfway through the half, the lead chipped away with six lead changes during the period.  Toward the end of the second half, the Panthers were able to mount a run of its own, taking a 58-53 lead.  Senior Sage Beemer pulled the Oaks closer with a basket to make the score 58-55.  On the following play, a crucial steal and layup by freshman Andrew Koch pulled ESF to within one at 58-57 with just over 56 seconds to play.  After a Mighty Oaks timeout, ESF sent Albany to the free-throw line.  Missing the front-end of the one-and-one, the Mighty Oaks came down with a chance to complete its comeback with just 27 seconds left. The Mighty Oaks missed its first go-ahead attempt, prompting head coach Scott Blair to call a timeout with 10 seconds remaining.  On the final play, Caldwell missed a heavily contest layup to win the game.

 Caldwell finished the game with 17 points and 13 rebounds, his sixth double-double of the season. Sophomore Tyler Kuhn came off the bench and chipped in 15 points along with 12 rebounds in only 27 minutes of play.

This was the Mighty Oaks first conference loss of the season. They fall to 3-12 overall, 1-1 in the HVIAC conference. The team faces Pratt Institute Jan. 31 in a home conference game.