T'Wolves hand unbeaten Schoolcraft first loss of season, go 2-0 at Holiday Classic
Three in a row. That's how long SUNY Niagara men's basketball's winning streak is after a pair of gritty wins against teams from Michigan.
The blue-and-gold defeated Henry Ford College, 89-79, on Saturday, and then handed Schoolcraft College its first loss of the season, 79-69, on Sunday, during the Thunderwolves Holiday Classic in Sanborn. SUNY Niagara is now 8-4 on the season.
SUNY Niagara 89, Henry Ford College 79
Chioke Marshall scored 40 points on 11-of-24 shooting and drilled a team-high four 3-pointers and went 14-of-15 at the free-throw line. This marked Marshall's second 40-point game of this season and career.
Jacob Humphrey had 21 points (3-of-7 3-point) and seven rebounds. Jaedon Hutchinson had nine points and eight rebounds.
David Washington had five points and two blocks. Jimmie Green and Ateny Kuol had four points each. Bryce Wejuli (5 rebounds), Mustafa Eskici (6 rebounds) and Tamir Barrant had two ponits each.
SUNY Niagara had a 49-41 lead at halftime and out-gained the Hawks in points in the paint (38-24) and second-chance points (26-11). The Thunderwolves also shot 31-of-74 (41.9%) frmo the field and 9-of-30 (30%) from the 3-point line, with five connections in the first half.
SUNY Niagara 79, Schoolcraft College 69
With only a 33-22 halftime lead, the Thunderwolves had a balanced contribution in the second half and handed the Ocelots their first loss of the season after a 10-0 start.
Chioke Marshall had team-highs of 18 points and six assists in the win. Jacob Humphrey had 17 points, seven rebounds and two assists.
Jack Kempf had 12 poitns and seven rebounds in 16 minutes off the bench. Jimmie Green had eight points and nine rebounds and Mustafa Eskici also had eight points.
Bryce Wejuli had seven points and five rebounds. D'Andre Gibbs had five points. Jaedon Hutchinson and Tamir Barrant scored a basket each.
SUNY Niagara shot 22-of-55 (40%) from the field and made four of their five 3-pointers in the first half (5-of-20 in the game). The Thunderwolves also went 30-of-37 (81.1%) at the free-throw line, their most converted in a game since a 31-of-46 finish in a 98-94 win against Garrett College on Nov. 8.
NOTES:
Marshall's 40-point contest against Henry Ford College was the second time he recorded 40 points in his career. This came after he established a new career-high of 42 points in an 89-83 win against Allegany College of Maryland on Nov. 9. The outing against the Hawks Saturday marked Marshall's seventh 30-point game in his SUNY Niagara career. After this weekend, Marshall is averaging a team-high 22.5 points per game and has scored 830 points in 43 career games.
In just five appearances with the Thunderwolves, Humphrey recorded his first back-to-back 20-point outings with 24 against Corning CC on Dec. 3 and 21 against Henry Ford College Saturday. The freshman then scored 17 against Schoolcraft, extending his double-figure scoring streak to three consecutive games.
Jack Kempf’s seven rebounds against Schoolcraft marked the fifth time he had at least five boards in a game. The freshman is tied for fifth on the team in rebounds per game (4.5). Jaedon Hutchinson leads with 6.8 per game in the category.
SUNY Niagar's 23 offensive rebounds against Henry Ford was its most in a single contest this season. The 59 total rebounds against the Hawks tied the season-high from Corning CC on Dec. 3. Last year’s season-high for the Thunderwolves was 53 in a 98-70 win against Genesee CC on Nov. 2, 2024
With 10 against Henry Ford and 14 against Schoolcraft, SUNY Niagara is 7-2 when it records least 10 assists in a game and 4-0 when it posts at least 15. Last season, the Thunderwolves were 22-3 when they had 10 or more assists and were 7-1 with 15 assists or more.
SUNY Niagara continues its four-game, six-day stretch when it hosts Mohawk Valley CC at 6 p.m. Wednesday in Sanborn. The Thunderwolves conclude the calendar year at Cuyahoga CC at 6 p.m. Friday and at Lorain CC at 3 p.m. Saturday. SUNY Niagara resumes its schedule at Mohawk Valley CC at Noon on Jan. 10.
2025 Thunderwolves Holiday Classic Results:
Day One:
Schoolcraft College 76, Monroe CC 70 F/OT
SUNY Niagara 89, Henry Ford College 79
Day Two:
Monroe CC 71, Henry Ford College 67
SUNY Niagara 79, Schoolcraft 69