The Geneseo men’s basketball team went 2-1 in a weekend full of conference competition.
On Friday Jan. 25, the Knights topped SUNY New Paltz 76-61. Junior Thomas Decker led the Knights with 19 points, including 12 from beyond the arc.
Although a point guard, Decker is a “very capable shooter,” according to head coach Steve Minton.
“A night for him like he had against New Paltz is while maybe a little uncharacteristic, it’s certainly not something that’s that shocking,” Minton said.
Minton emphasized passing the ball around as a key for success. Three other Knights scored in the double digits: junior Connor Fedge with 14 points, sophomore Gordon Lyons with 13 and sophomore James McKenna with 10.
“Eventually there’s going to be a breakdown in the defense if you keep moving the ball,” Minton said. “They just can’t keep up with it.”
Against SUNY Oneonta the following evening, five Geneseo players hit double digits in a 79-62 win. Junior Matt Curry paced the Knights with 15 points in 16 minutes of play. Lyons matched Curry’s baskets in addition to 11 rebounds.
Minton attributed the success to the unselfishness of this year’s squad, stating, “The only thing they’re caring about is what two points get up on the scoreboard, not who scores them. They know when someone’s playing well and having a good day that that needs to be their go-to guy.”
With a five-game winning streak under their belt, the Knights headed into the Tuesday Jan. 29 contest against SUNY Oswego focused on staying on top of the conference.
The Knights wanted to score two points against the Lakers and then focus on gaining two more against SUNY Brockport, Minton said.
“The conference is so strong and you got to focus on one team and not worry about what’s going to happen down the road because you can’t control who else is beating who in the conference,” Minton said. “You got to worry about your own.”
The basketball squad uses the mantra, “Don’t count the two points before it comes through the bottom of the net,” according to Minton, similar to the idiom “Don’t count your chickens before they’re hatched.”
SUNY Oswego, who stands in fourth in SUNYAC, challenged the Knights and came away with the two points in a decisive 70-50 win. The Knights fell to 10-3 on the season and 15-5 overall.
Junior Jordan Jones led Geneseo with 13 points – six of which were from the foul line. Fedge added 12 points. Senior Ryan Riefenhauser grabbed seven boards in the loss.
Geneseo hosts Brockport at 8 p.m. on Saturday Feb. 2 in Schrader Gymnasium. The Golden Eagles won in a tight 87-78 match-up earlier in January. In order to ensure two points, Minton emphasized consistency so the Knights aren’t put in the position to play from behind.
Brockport stands in fifth place in SUNYAC play.