NEW ROCHELLE, NY — The College of New Rochelle men’s basketball team earned the program’s historic first victory on Tuesday night with a 93-87 win over visiting College of Saint Elizabeth. It was the Blue Angels first ever home game at the Wellness Center and they gave the crowd lots to cheer about. CNR improves to 1-2 on the season, while the Eagles – who are also a first year program – drop their first contest of the year and fall to 2-1.
All five starters scored in double-figures for New Rochelle, led by freshmen Hunter Schenkel (Sayville, NY), who recorded the program’s first double-double, as he matched the game-high with 23 points and led all players with 18 rebounds. An all freshmen core of Glen O’Loughlin (Yorktown Heights, NY) notched 16 points, Kobe Telford (Brooklyn, NY) added 15, and Matthew Dean (Marlboro, NJ) contributed 11. Point guard, and CNR’s season leading scorer Elijah Harris (Flushing, NY) added 12, for his third straight double-digit game. He also tied his season-high five assists and added three more steals.
Head Coach Dan Nigro summed up the win, “I am pleased to be part of CNR history tonight being part of the first men’s basketball win. I am humbled to have done something like this for the first time in my career. Being part of this community’s history. Thank you CNR for this opportunity.”
Three players scored in double-digits for St. Elizabeth, as Cameron Tucker led the way with 23, Marlon Hart had 18 and Scott Bradley notched 11 off the bench. Hart picked up a double-double, as he also brought down a team-best 10 rebounds.
Stats of the Game:
* CNR went 5-for-7 down the stretch from the free throw line, to help secure the win.
* Six times in the second half, CSE got within 1 pt of the lead, and only once held a 1 pt lead for a brief period.
* CNR held a significant advantage in fast break points 12-4, while CSE stayed in the game thanks to its bench pouring in 34 points.
Interesting Fact:
With the home opening win, the men’s basketball team made it a clean sweep this year, as all three new men’s sports (soccer and swimming) won their home openers.
After the Thanksgiving break, the Blue Angels will continue their three-game home stand with a match-up against Western Connecticut State next Tuesday, Nov. 29. Tipoff is scheduled for 7 p.m. at the Wellness Center.