Men's Basketball Ends Season With Loss At SUNY Poly

MARCY, N.Y. – The Wells College men's basketball team concluded their seventh season as a varsity program with a 73-65 loss to the SUNY Polytechnic Institute on the road Saturday afternoon. With the loss, Wells finishes at 7-18 (7-10 NEAC) while the Wildcats narrowly miss the playoffs with an 11-14 overall record and a 10-7 mark within league play. The Wildcats, who tied with Cazenovia at 10-7 within the conference, lost a playoff spot due to tiebreaker rules and regulations. 

Four seniors concluded their careers with strong games as Jordan Jean (Englewood, N.J.) scored 19 points and 11 rebounds for his sixth double-double of the season. EZ Garcia (Cotulla, Texas) was 11-for-14 from the free throw line, scoring 18 points, while Erich Kaempffe (North Rose, N.Y.) and Shakeel Simmons (Brentwood, N.Y.) each scored 10 points. 

Wells opened up a 22-18 lead following a three by Kaempffe with 6:44 left in the first half. Shortly thereafter, a Jean layup placed Wells ahead by a 24-20 margin with 6:28 to go in the frame. However, the Express allowed a 14-1 run to the hosts and Wells never saw the lead again in the contest. 

A 12-8 run by the Express to open the second half cut the score to 42-40, but Michael Boyea hit a jumper and then a three-pointer to reestablish a five point lead. The final five minutes were more or less a free throw contest as both teams ultimately combined for 40 free throw makes throughout the 40 minute affair. 

Maverick Hodge scored 31 points for SUNY Poly while Boyea struck for 14 points. The Wildcats collectively shot 50% from the floor (25-for-50) and 40% from three-point land (6-for-15).