FIRST CONFERENCE WIN COMES AGAINST COUGARS 98-53

(Kristian Mondesir had 13 points on Sunday, three of them coming on this 'and one' in the varsity gym).

(Matthew Dallas hit three three pointers on his way to 14 points Sunday against the Cougars)

HERKIMER, NY – Scoring their most points of the season against Clinton Community College Sunday (11/8) in the varsity gym, the #5 Herkimer Generals men's basketball team cruised to their third consecutive win, defeating the Cougars 98-53.

Herkimer (3-0, 1-0) actually trailed early to Clinton until Anquan McLean Jr. (Albany, NY) scored via a dunk when Tru Garland (Bronx, NY) found him on the weak side of the defense all alone with 16:28 left in the first half. It gave Herkimer a 5-4 lead, needing another McLean Jr. field goal and Kristian Mondesir layup (Queens, NY) before the Generals took the lead for good 11-9.  McLean Jr. finished the game with nine points, while Garland finished with four.

A quick 9-0 run on baskets by Mondesir, Christopher Simmons (Utica, NY) and Pat Dorrian (Kingston, NY) gave the Generals a 20-9, then another 18-to-9 run pushed the lead to 38-28 with over five minutes left in the half. Dorrian scored 13 of the 18, finishing with a game-high 20 off the bench thanks in part to four three-point field goals.

The unselfish offense didn't stop there, keeping the lead at 20 into halftime (52-28) after Shomari Redd (Westbury, NY) found Tyquan Scott (Long Beach, NY) for an alley oop dunk, Simmons for a layup and Daniel Owens (Albany, NY) for a three-point field goal. Redd helped Scott to nine, Simmons to seven and Owens to 10 points in the contest.

Then in the second half, Herkimer took a commanding lead over the Cougars, opening up the first six minutes on a 17-0 run, making it 69-28 after Dorrian sank a pair of free throws. It ballooned to 75-32 after Owens sank three-point field goals on consecutive possessions with 12:54 left in regulation, allowing many of the bench players extended minutes in the team's first conference victory of the season.

The Generals will play their first regular season game on the road this coming Wednesday (11/11). They'll travel to play conference rival Mohawk Valley Community College in a second consecutive Mountain Valley Conference match up with tip off scheduled for 8 p.m. The Hawks are currently 3-1 on the season.