The Geneseo men’s basketball team ran away with a 120-66 win on Saturday Nov. 24 against D’Youville College.
Seven Knights tallied double-digit figures, led by junior Connor Fedge and sophomore Devon Anderson, who put up 19 points each – Fedge’s season best and Anderson’s career best.
Senior Ryan Riefenhauser made all eight shots from the floor, posting 16 points. The Dobbs Ferry, N.Y. native also grabbed nine rebounds and dished out eight assists on his way to earning Geneseo Athlete of the Week.
Other double-digit contributors included juniors Matt Curry and Jordan Jones and sophomores James McKenna and Gordon Lyons.
The Knights made 50 of their 69 shots. This 72.5 shooting percentage marked a new school record. Geneseo is shooting an average of 60.9 percent from the floor so far in the 2012-2013 season.
Head coach Steve Minton attributed the high shooting percentage to press defense.
“I like it when teams press us,” Minton said. “I think we’re very good in that kind of game.”
According to Minton, the Knights’ speed combined with press defense enables the team to shoot numerous layups.
“You still got to make them, but that was a big help,” he said.
The Knights missed another school record – total points – by one point. Paired with 50 field goals, the Knights dished out 36 assists, something Minton said was “pretty impressive.”
Minton attributed the success to the gelled team led by the veterans. Although the Knights lost Mike Hoy ‘12 and classmate Abe Miller, this year’s squad has played together for a full season.
The Knights prepare for their final preseason play in the 47th annual Wendy’s College Classic, Division III’s largest and longest running in-season college basketball tournament.
Minton described the Wendy’s College Classic as a “very good test” against eight local teams, including Hobart College, Nazareth College, Roberts Wesleyan College, Rochester Institute of Technology, St. John Fisher College, SUNY Brockport and the University of Rochester.
Tournament play began Wednesday Nov. 28 at St. John Fisher and Hobart. Geneseo’s Schrader Gym hosts the consolation bracket on Friday Nov. 30, regardless of the Knights’ progress.
“Playing Nazareth first will be something that will be very different than the last two games,” Minton said.
The Knights will have to return to old-fashioned defense and remain patient with offensive plays to find good shots, according to Minton.
“This will be a little bit more like a conference game than what we’ve seen previously,” he said.
Shortly after the conclusion of Wendy’s College Classic on Saturday Dec. 1, the Knights begin SUNYAC competition on Tuesday Dec. 4 against SUNY Cortland.
Editor’s Note:
The Knights fell to 2-2 on the season against Nazareth in the first game of the Wendy’s College Classic on Wednesday Nov. 28.
Sophomore Gordon Lyons led Geneseo with 21 points and 14 rebounds – both career bests. Junior Connor Fedge added 13 points.
The Knights – who reached a new school record in shooting percentage – marked their lowest against the Golden Flyers with 43.6 percent.
Geneseo hosts a consolation-round game on Friday Nov. 30 in Schrader Gym against Roberts Wesleyan or Hobart.