HERKIMER MEN DROP GAME TO JEFFERSON, BOUNCE BACK WITH ROUT OF SUNY BROOME

HERKIMER, NY - The silence that filled the Herkimer gymnasium on Thursday evening turned into zealous hollers on Saturday afternoon. With only a day off, Herkimer responded from a 66-47 loss against Jefferson Community College with a dominant 116-61 win over SUNY Broome.

Nothing clicked for the Generals throughout the entire game against Jefferson Community College on Thursday evening. Their 27-21 halftime lead could be credited to the teams' active defense that forced 12 turnovers in the first half alone, but their offense wasn't sustainable at all, resulting in a disappointing 66-47 home loss. 

Team Stats:

18-of-67 from the field, (27% FG)

6-of-31 from 3 (19% FG)

12 steals

11 turnovers

Individual Stats:

Freshman guard Dante Griffin (Utica) & sophomore forward Tyres Desinor (Brooklyn) led the Generals in scoring with nine points each coming off the bench. 

In a complete 180 degree turnaround just two days later, Herkimer (6-2) annihilated SUNY Broome 116-61 in their last game before Thanksgiving break. 

A big change for the Generals was moving freshman point guard Jayden Stephens (Yonkers) to the bench in favor of freshman Dante Griffin (Utica). The move was imperative to the teams' success on Sunday as Griffin scored a season-high 27 points, and added a team high eight assists. 

"This was a good team win, especially after a really bad loss a few days ago," said Griffin. When asked about being given the keys to the offense, he added: "Coach gave me the utmost confidence by giving me this role, and now I have to be more prepared and I'm ready for it."

Team Stats:

Season high in field goal percentage (58.2%) & assists (23)

14 steals

Stephens responded well coming off the bench, adding ten points in 17 minutes. He's taken the role-change well, trusting that the Herkimer coaching staff knows what's best for the team.

It's a new role for me, (coming off the bench), he said. "But it was the best move for the team's success. Coach believed this would be better for the team and the results on Saturday night showed."

Individual Stats:

Griffin led the team with 27 points, freshman guard Jaylen Warmack added 22 points on 9-of-12 shooting. Freshman forward David Mo (Syracuse) scored 18 points on 7-of-10 shooting, and the freshmen duo from Yonkers, Keyshawn Miller & Jayden Stephens each added 10.