Men's Basketball Storms Past Keuka, 74-65

Men's Basketball Storms Past Keuka, 74-65

KEUKA PARK, N.Y. – Freshman Rich Ross (Bronx, N.Y.) of the Wells College men's basketball team scored a team-leading 24 points to help the Express defeat Keuka College by a 74-65 score on Wednesday. With the result, Wells moves to 9-12 overall and to 7-7 within the North Eastern Athletic Conference while Keuka (7-12, 4-9 NEAC) has lost five of its last six contests.

Ross poured home 24 points, becoming the 15th men's basketball player in team history to score at least 400 points in a career. He has already scored the team's eighth-most points by an individual player in one season with three regular season games to play and is the only NEAC men's basketball player to have scored 400 points so far this season.

Junior Vaughndell Brantley (Syracuse, N.Y.) scored 17 points, tying Ross for the team lead with three field goals from distance. Both of the aforementioned players also led the team with seven rebounds apiece. Senior Jordan Bishop (Arlington, Texas) assisted a team-leading four baskets for the Express.

The Wells offense started the game on fire, using a Ross three-pointer, a layup from junior Chris Courtney (Auburn, N.Y.) and a Brantley trey to open a 8-0 lead through the game's first 1:59. A Brantley layup later in the first half created a 30-16 lead for the Express, but Keuka would retake the lead after using a 24-6 scoring run across the game's next 7:44.

Keuka led by as much as five points with 11:59 left in regulation time, using a Devin Cooper jumper to take the 49-44 lead. However, junior James Feocco (Auburn, N.Y.) made back-to-back jumpers to shrink his team's deficit to only one point.

Ross helped his team take the lead for good with the score tied at 56 with 5:17 left in the second half. He scored a jumper before bombing a three-point basket to lift his team to the 61-56 lead and ultimately scored 10-straight points for the Express to help keep the visitors ahead down the stretch.

Casey Williams scored a team-leading 16 points for Keuka. Cooper ranked second with 12 points while the former racked up eight rebounds.

Wells returns to action this Saturday, Feb. 13 as it travels to Penn College for a 1 p.m. contest.