Geneseo men’s basketball is getting off on the right foot. They’ve won three of their first four games as they head into conference play this weekend. So far, junior guard Terrance Nichols leads the pack with a 20.3 points per game average.
Their season kicked off with a blowout 81-46 road win against Houghton College on Nov. 13. Senior guard Zach Panebianco and Nichols both led the Knights to their first win of the season with 16 points each. This win gave the Knights their fourth consecutive season opener victory.
The Knights then headed to Westminster, Pa. for the Buzz Ridl Tournament over the weekend of Nov. 16. They played two games and went 1-1 while away.
Their first game came as a loss, as the Knights fell to Thiel College by a score of 69-54. Nichols came up big again as he put up a career-high 25 points in the losing effort.
The second game turned out much better for the Knights as they played Westminster College and left Pennsylvania with a 63-58 win. Panebianco came off the bench to score 24 points while Nichols put up 10 points in the winning effort.
Finally back in Geneseo, the Knights opened up play at home with an 89-73 victory over Alfred University. It was Nichols this time who set a personal record for points in a game. Nichols put up 30 points while Panebianco put up 18 points and dished out seven assists.
Now with conference play coming up this weekend, Nichols and junior guard Terence Rogers sat down to discuss this weekend and the season in general.
“We’ve done a really good job so far limiting other teams’ possessions. We’ve been great on the defensive glass, [our] rebounding has been great,” Roger said. “That’s something we’re really excited for to carry over [into conference play].”
Geneseo’s defense has been stellar to start the season, averaging only 61.5 points allowed per game. On top of that, they average 32.3 defensive rebounds per game.
When asked about the team’s season goal, Nichols and Rogers were on the same page. “Our team goal every year is to win SUNYAC, it’s our ultimate goal,” Nichols said.
“As the season progresses, we want to get the best position we can and get one of the top seeds, so we can host a playoff game or two,” Rogers said.
Their first conference game of the season, the first step towards the SUNYAC championship, will be on Friday Nov. 30 at 7:30 p.m. against rival SUNY Oswego in Oswego.
For the Knights, this game’s revenge element dates back to last year’s playoff loss to Oswego.
“Oswego beat us in the conference tournament last year at our place, so we definitely owe them a win,” Rogers said.
Nichols stressed the importance of sticking to their game.
“We’re taking it one game at a time,” Nichols said. “Everybody in the league is going to be competitive this year. So, we just have to focus and stay to our own game and try and be the best team we can be.”
Geneseo has a tough schedule to start the season away at Oswego before they travel to SUNY Cortland the following day, Saturday Dec. 1, for a 4 p.m. matchup.
The Knights, being a relatively young team, will need to listen to veterans Nichols and Rogers if they want to be successful this weekend. If they take it one game at a time and continue to play their strong defensive game, they should be successful in their first weekend of conference play.
“We’re out for revenge,” Rogers said. “We want to get that win and start conference play off right.”
As the old saying goes, “revenge is a dish best served cold.” Let’s hope the Knights can get revenge and carry that momentum into Cortland the next day and into the rest of the season.