Men’s Basketball Drops 71-58 Contest To Morrisville State

AURORA, N.Y. – Despite four Express players reaching double-digit point totals, the Wells College men's basketball team posted a 71-58 loss to the Mustangs of Morrisville State College Wednesday evening at the Frances Tarlton Farenthold Athletic Wing. With the loss, the Express fall to 7-11 overall on the year and to 3-5 within North Eastern Athletic Conference play. The Mustangs improve to a league-best 12-4 overall while also posting a North Division leading 6-1 record against conference opponents.

Juniors E.J. Taylor (Tampa Bay, Fla.) and Al Paul (Elmont, N.Y.) each posted 14 points to tie for the team lead in that category. Taylor converted 3-of-10 three-point field goals while Paul recorded 6-of-16 from the floor. Additionally, juniors Jonathan Hurtado (Brooklyn, N.Y.) and Jonathan Bonds (Chicago, Ill.) each recorded 10 points while Bonds' nine rebounds place him just outside of "double-double" status.

Following a Jordan Prior layup, the Express trailed by 12 points with 11:34 remaining in the first half. The Express, however, cut the deficit to four late in the first half as the Express outscored the Mustangs by a 4-to-2 margin in the first half's final five minutes with Paul recording all four points for the Express in the paint.

Cumulatively in the first half, Paul led the way with 11 points while Bonds, ranked second on the team in points following 20 minutes, had only four points. Bonds also cleaned the glass for the Express in the first stanza, scooping up six total rebounds.

To start the second half of play, the Express captured their first lead of the game following a Hurtado jumper with 18:44 remaining in the second half. However, the Mustangs buried six of their next eight three-point opportunities and built a 14 point cushion with 10:55 remaining in regulation time, staked to a 53-39 lead. From there, Morrisville State would not look back, holding the Express to no smaller than a 13 point lead for the remainder of the contest.

For Morrisville State, Prior led the way with a 6-for-7 performance from three-point range to post a team-best 26 points. Rhamel Williams ranked second on the squad, converting 5-of-9 from the charity stripe to post 14 total points. Both Kucjok Ater and Jailaan Kinsey posted three assists while Williams chipped in a team-best three takeaways.

The Express return to action Saturday, Jan. 26 as they host the Fighting Tigers of SUNY Cobleskill in a 3:00 p.m. tilt. Stay up to date with the latest news directly from the Wells College athletic department by "liking" us on Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/WellsExpress) and subscribing to our Twitter account (http://www.twitter.com/WellsExpress).